Police received a call of a suspicious package located at the Albany Walmart in the area of 169 Avenue and 127 Street at approximately 10:23 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. It was reported that an adult male entered the store carrying a bag with an item in it. The male walked around the store, left the bag, and then walked out of the store. Employees removed the bag from the store and placed it outside the store prior to police arrival.
EPS West Division Patrol officers evacuated the store and cordoned off the parking lot, and emergency services were activated. Police Explosive Disposal Unit technicians secured the item, and afterwards, the store and parking lot were reopened to staff and shoppers.
Det. Rae Gerrard with EPS West Division says, “Police take these types of threats very seriously, because we don’t know what we are dealing with and must take every step to resolve them safely. These incidents tie up a considerable amount of first responders for several hours, and have a tremendous impact on the public as well. It’s very important that the public understands the severity of incidents such as these, and that police will investigate and charge the individuals responsible.”
Police have reviewed security video from the store, and have been able to identify a person of interest. The individual is described as an adult male, 25 to 35 years old, Caucasian and possibly tanned, thin build, approximately 6’3” tall, brown hair with a short buzz cut. He was wearing eyeglasses, light coloured t-shirt, blue jeans, and black jacket.
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Detectives continue to investigate, and ask that anyone with information regarding these incidents contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm.
If you come across a suspicious package:
- Do not touch, or move, or attempt to open the package.
- Evacuate and cordon off the area.
- Call 911 as soon as possible so that police and emergency services can respond.