Hotel staff pursued would-be robber

A botched robbery landed three people in handcuffs Sunday morning after a man tried to make off with $5,000 from the 98 Hotel.

A botched robbery landed three people in handcuffs Sunday morning after a man tried to make off with $5,000 from the 98 Hotel.

Whitehorse RCMP reported this morning that at approximately 10 a.m. Sunday, a man entered the hotel bar with a stick in his hand.

He walked through the bar and into the office, where he grabbed about $5,000 in cash, according to a police press release.

The man only made it as far as the front door, however, before he was stopped by the bar staff.

“Two employees gave chase and were able to catch the male in the lobby, where the cash was retrieved after a struggle,” police said.

Employees at the bar said yesterday the man casually walked into the unlocked office and was almost out the door before anyone realized what had happened.

Although staff were able to save the money, the would-be robber fled the scene on foot.

The police were called and given a description of the suspect.

An hour and a half later, an RCMP officer spotted a man matching the description riding in a vehicle on the Alaska Highway.

The officer stopped the vehicle, and the driver, a 22-year-old Whitehorse woman, was subsequently arrested and charged with impaired driving.

The 23-year-old robbery suspect was charged with robbery with an offensive weapon.

A third person was also arrested but later released without charge.

Police are continuing to investigate the matter, RCMP spokesman Sgt. Don Rogers said today.

“We’ll determine if any of the others had any knowledge of the incident and go from there,” Rogers said.

The suspect’s companions may face charges related to the robbery, he added.

Police are not releasing the names of the man and woman who were charged because neither has yet appeared in court.

Both were scheduled to appear before a justice of the peace later today.