An 81-year-old military veteran who was robbed at gunpoint in his Dartmouth, N.S. home may see justice served.
A team of Halifax Regional Police and RCMP officers executed search warrants at three homes in the North Preston area around 1 a.m. Friday in connection with the case.
They say five teens were arrested without incident in the raids and will be questioned about the armed robbery today.
Police responded to the 100 block of Princeton Lane around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Investigators say two teens knocked on the man’s door and pulled a gun on him when he answered. Then they forced the man into his basement, knocked him to the floor and went through his pockets where they found his car keys.
The suspects then fled the home, taking the victim’s 2010 Buick Lacrosse with them.
Witnesses spotted the vehicle in the area of Simmonds Road and North Preston Road around 11:30 p.m. and called police, who rushed to the area.
When they arrived, the vehicle was gone, but members of the Cole Harbour RCMP were able to track it down around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
“The car was found on Whynder Lake Drive in North Preston, about a 15 minute drive from the victim’s home,” says Const. Holly Smith. “It’s a place where stolen vehicles have been found before.”
Investigators are processing the vehicle for evidence at police headquarters.
Residents of the Dartmouth neighbourhood where the incident took place say they were surprised to hear of such a crime in their own backyard.
“It’s very awful…it’s scary,” says one Portland Estates resident. “We don’t usually have things happen like that in our neighbourhood.”
“The guy lived a long time. Why would they bother him?” said another.
At least one neighbour is calling for more police presence in the area.
“We have a great lack of police presence here,” he said. “We seldom see any of the police around here. We have a community policeman who will once in awhile drive through.”
Police say the victim suffered minor injuries as a result of being pushed to the floor.
The suspects – an 18-year-old male, two 16-year-old males, and two 15-year-old males – are also being questioned about a break and enter that took place in East Preston Wednesday night.
