Chilliwack RCMP believe they’ve arrested two men who allegedly carried out a string of armed robberies in Popkum and Chilliwack.
Thirty two year old Rosedale native Allen Edward Rusk and 24 year old Rosedale native Herbert Martin Hanuse are in custody.
Rusk faces three charges, including robbery and possession of stolen property, and will stay in behind bars until he appears in court later this month. Hanuse finds himself in even hotter water, facing 11 charges that include robbery, assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public.
The first robbery was on Jan. 19.
At 7:30 p.m. a man with his face covered, carrying a weapon, allegedly entered a store in the 52800 block of Yale Road East, demanded money and ran off with the stolen cash.
The second robbery happened at 9:45 a.m. on March 25.
Again, the suspect had his face covered and carried a weapon, allegedly entering a restaurant in the 53000 block of Bunker Road (Popkum) and demanding money. This time police say he escaped on a bicycle.
On April 3 at 6:35 a.m. a suspect returned to the 53000 block of Bunker Road for a second time.
An employee confronted him and suffered a non life-threatening head injury. The suspect allegedly grabbed some merchandise before taking off on a bicycle.
The final robbery occurred April 9 at 12:30 p.m. when the suspect allegedly stormed into a convenience store on Wells Road in Chilliwack, running away with money and merchandise.
Soon after, RCMP officers found a suspected stolen vehicle in the Agassiz area and linked it to the Wells Road robbery.
Rusk and Hanuse were arrested later that day.