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Suspect charged in Aldergrove assault with hammer, robbery

A Surrey man has been arrested and charged in connection with the May 2 assault on an Aldergrove shopkeeper with a hammer.

Langley RCMP have charged Keith Robertson, 22, who is believed to be responsible for two robberies this past week in Aldergrove and Brookswood.

The first robbery took place on May 2 just past 7 a.m. The Express convenience store in the 2900-block of 272 Street was robbed by two males, one carrying a firearm and the other a hammer.

The store clerk was hit in the head several times with both the gun and the hammer. The victim’s wounds to his jaw and side of his head required stitches but were not life threatening.

The suspects emptied the register of money and also took lottery tickets and then fled into the alley behind the store. They were seen fleeing in an older white Ford car.

Officers reviewing the surveillance footage of the robbery were able to identify one of the two men. They also recovered the hammer, which had been dropped during the escape.

The second robbery took place on May 4 at about 9 a.m. Two males entered a convenience store in the 20700-block of 42 Avenue and went directly behind the counter. One of the suspects hit the store clerk several times with a stick or rod. The clerk was also punched in the face during the robbery.

The clerk was ordered to open the till and the robbers took the contents of the till and the lottery tickets.

The two suspects fled and the clerk was able to follow them to the parking lot and obtain the licence plate of the getaway vehicle. A witness in the parking lot saw the vehicle leave the parking lot and saw the clerk chasing it so he followed the vehicle and reported to police its final stop.

The vehicle turned out to be stolen.

However, about 45 minutes later, a general duty officer conducting patrols in the 20200-block of 54A Avenue observed a male matching the description of one of the robbery suspects. The officer stopped the suspect, who gave a false name. The officer took notice of a tattoo on the suspect’s arm that appeared to be a surname. Further investigation confirmed he was indeed the suspect from the first robbery.

Robertson, 22, of Surrey, has been charged with two counts each of robbery and assault causing bodily harm, one count of using a firearm while committing an indictable offence and one count of obstructing a peace officer.

He was remanded in custody and will appear in Surrey Provincial Court on May 10.

Police have not yet identified the second suspect. Anyone with information that might assist with this investigation is asked to call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200. Should you need to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).