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Store owner nabs break-in suspect Laura Busch Northern News Services Published Friday, February 24, 2012
Cheng was in the back room of Willy's convenience store just after 2 a.m. on Feb. 21, when he heard the sound of breaking glass at the front of the store. He thought it was the sound of something falling off a shelf, but when he got to the front he found glass from the locked front door shattered all over the floor and two people were about to enter into the store. Cheng said he shouted at the suspects out of instinct, and thinks he scared them by being there. The two men turned and ran and Cheng went after them - without pausing to grab a parka or call police. "I wanted to see who did that to me, because I was so mad," Cheng said of why he chased the suspects. Just last month, on Jan. 8, money was stolen from the cash register at the Range Lake Road convenience store during business hours. Sean Qitsualik, who is also facing charges relating to the robbery of two Yellowknife cab drivers in early December, pleaded guilty to the store theft and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and one year's probation. Cheng said the Feb. 21 incident was the first break and enter in the three years he has owned the business. To discourage potential robbers, Cheng empties all of the cigarettes out of the cabinet every night, and never leaves cash on the premises. So all there was to take on the night of the break-in was chips, pop and candy, he said. Cheng chased the two suspects - one he described as tall, the other short - from his store beside the Monkey Tree Gas Bar to the skate park beside St. Joseph School. Once there, he stopped to catch his breath, and observed the shorter suspect shed his parka and stash it in the skate park. The suspect then strolled casually back toward the street, said Cheng. "He tried to play with me like he was an innocent person," said Cheng. "I approached him and said 'hey, what did you do to my store?'" The man told Cheng he was just walking home, but he had seen someone climbing over a fence. He convinced the suspect to stick around as a witness until the police came. A resident of nearby Williams Avenue called the RCMP at Cheng's request. The police arrived and arrested Lloyd Thrasher, 24, and charged him with breaking and entering and possession of an instrument to be used for the break-in. The K-9 unit was called to track the second suspect, but he wasn't located. The RCMP is hoping for a tip from the public, said RCMP spokesperson Const. Kathy Law. Law said she believes that officers had interviewed Thrasher regarding the identity of the second suspect, but were unable to gather enough information for a description or to make an arrest. Thrasher, who had an outstanding arrest warrant against him, was also charged Tuesday with failing to comply with a court order. These are not the only charges Thrasher is currently facing. When he appeared in front of Judge Christine Gagnon in territorial court Thursday, it was to face the four charges stemming from Tuesday's incident, as well as unrelated charges including another break-and-enter charge and a second charge of failing to comply with court conditions. Two of the charges stem from an incident on Jan. 4 when Sunlines convenience store on Franklin Avenue was broken into and a suspect was seen leaving the store with a cash register, said Law. Thrasher has a lengthy history of convictions. Last May, he pleaded guilty to brutally killing a dog in Yellowknife and was sentenced to eight months in jail. When Thrasher appeared in court Thursday, he wore a black long-sleeve shirt with the words "99 problems" printed on the front.
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