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Page the Herald Town Buyer Sunday November 1991 Big city crime hits the Hills News at a Glance Big city crime hit Hills and surrounding areas with a vengeance Thursday morning in a cops and robber scenario more reminiscent of the John era than the There is also a Keystone Kops flavor to the incident which ended at the intersection of King and McLaughlin in Caledon in a hail of gunfire At press time the suspect iden tified by police as 50yearold Her mann from the Ailiston area was under police guard at Peel Memorial Hospital in Brampton suffering from gunshot wounds af ter a robbery spree and police chase that involved five police forces in cluding the and the RCMP Through police eyewitnesses and other sources the Herald has been able to piece together the events of the day Just before am on Thursday a darkcolored Lincoln Car with a lone occupant was observed parked awkwardly in front of the Royal Bank at 232A Guelph St in Georgetown When the bank opened for business a male purportedly wearing a wig false moustache and dark sunglasses entered the bank positioned himself in the centre of the work area drew a revolver and demanded all the money you have When a customer attempted to leave the bank he was ordered by the gunman to stay where you are The robber was described by one eyewitness who asked not to be identified as very calm cool He knew what he was doing and what he wanted The robber then approached the cashiers counter produced a plastic bag and waited while it was filled He seemed to know where Officer injured Only hours away from his last shift of the week PC Alan Sten nett a Halton Regional Police of ficer Georgetown Division was admitted to Peel Memorial Hospital with leg injuries suffered during the pursuit of the suspect alleged responsible for the robbery at the Royal Bank of Canada located at 232A Guelph Street in Georgetown According to Regional Police at approximately 9 Thursday a lone gunman robbed the St bank The suspect fled the scene in a late model Lin coln Car after taking a quan tity of cash and throwing a smoke bomb which was ignited inside the bank A short time later police stated the same suspect is alleged to have robbed the Royal Bank in Rock- wood and continued into where he is suspected of robbing the Royal Bank at York Road and PC Stennett a police of ficer for nine years received his in juries when his cruiser went off the road in the area of Old Base Line and McLaughlin in A press release issued by Regional Police stated that PC Stennett was being fired upon and did return fire was treated at Peel Memorial Hospital in Brampton and released later in the day The suspect was finally stopped on McLaughlin Road and King in Caledon He reportedly fired at police officers and was shot in return He was taken to Peel Memorial Hospital with gunshot wounds Shortly after being admitted the suspect was described as being in serious but stable condition by Peel Memorial Hospital Public Relations Director Joanne Rider the money the eyewit ness As the robber backed out of the bank stilt the revolver he pulled the pin oh a smoke bomb to cover his escape According to information collec ted by the Herald description of- the robber his car and the licence plate number of the car was given to Halton Hills police who arrived on the scene mere minutes after the robbery Somehow the bandit evaded local policeeven though police tran smissions appeared to indicate a constant pursuit- and according to OPP reports travelled to wood where he robbed the Royal Rank in that hamlet This same individual according to police then proceeded to Guelph where he robbed the Royal Bank branch located at York Road and Kingsmill According to police sources the Royal bank in Rockwood was hit at 953 am and the Royal Bank in Guelph at 1030am It was at this point that the and became involved and a helicopter and light plane were also sent aloft in pursuit of daring bank robber Halton Hills firefighters were in to air out the Royal Bank of Canada located at 232 Guelph St in Georgetown after a lone gunman robbed the bank and Ignited a srrtoke bomb inside No one was injured during the robbery and firefighters were able to clear the smoke away within minutes The bank was closed until approximately pm following the robbery Herald Photo The police chase went through the north end of Guelph into Fergus north through Bel wood south to Highway 25 and east over rural roads in the area The drama ended when the supects car was rammed by an OPP cruiser at the intersection of King and and the erstwhile Dillinger emerged from the vehicle firing shots at police Conflicting reports indicate the suspect was hit at least four and possibly six time The chase reportedly covered miles with the suspect running at least one and possibly more police roadblocks smoke bombs being tossed at pursuing police vehicles gunfire being constantly exchanged between police and the suspect police vehicles being run off the road and at last report no mention of any money being recovered At press time it was reported that the Special Investigation iJnit SID of the Ministry of the Solicitor General has been called in to in vestigate the occurrence Staff lauded The staff of the Royal Bank in Georgetown who were victims of the robbery Thursday should be congratulated for their bravery and steady thinking said David manager of public relations for the Royal Bank in On tario We are very proud of the tremendous job done during the crisis All staff acted in first class fashion said Mr There is a certain set of procedures when n a robbery situation said Mr The number one priority is en suring staff and customers are safe he explained Mr said staff at the Georgetown Royal Bank branch in particular one male and one female employee did their utmost in ensuring the traumatic situation remained calm Mr also said the staff told the man they wanted no one hurt He also said the employees go through training programs so they are equipped to handle this sort of situation Mr- Moorecroft said he recently read an article on bank robberies from the Canadian Bank Association Mr Moorecroft said the article stated many police officers think bank is a dumb thing to do He said the article stated most robberies are attempted in broad daylight with many witnesses This and bank cameras and photographs can positively identify the suspects said Mr Moorecroft- They also know police will be alerted directly or a few seconds after the robbery yet they still think they can get away with it said Mr Moorecroft There are so many safeguards such as alarms and cameras even tually the robbers will get caught It me how many people still attempt it though said Mr Unwilling participant When local real estate agent Mike Adams got into his car Thursday morning to travel to his farm in the area he probablyjiad no idea that someone would Soon be pointing a gun at him Everything happened so fast I didnt know what to think Mr Adams said calmly during a telephone interview about two hours after the incident while taking a leisurely drive along Town Line towards the Sixth Line at approximately am Mr Adams recounts how he was sud denly overtaken by a speeding un marked police cruiser After tur ning the cruiser sideways up ahead of Mr Adamss car a male and female officer got out of the cruiser and signalled Mr Adams to stop his car All of a sudden I then see a speeding Lincoln coming up over the ridge being pursued by about eight cruisers and a helicopter up above Thetwoofficersscattered he yelling get out of the way said Mr Adams said before he could do anything he saw the Lincoln swerve around the stopped police cruiser and head for his car He the driver started to come after me with his arm out of the car window pointing a gun at me All I could do was drive my car into the ditch to avoid being hit said Mr Adams Police were chasing the Lincoln because its driver was a suspect in connection with a bank robbery at the Royal Bank of Canada 232 Street in Georgetown Thur sday morning Questioned if he was scared Mr Adams replied Im glad he wasnt some weirdo just shooting at people He then added the incident should send a message to govern ment that its time to get tough on criminals Citizens arent safe on the street anymore Gypsy Moth invasion predicted for North Halton BEN The Herald The Gypsy Moth which is defoliating large tracts of forest area in Burlington and will soon invade unless a spraying program to kill the insect is carried out Planning and Public Works Com mittee learned Wednesday Murray Stephen Region Conservation Authority General Manager urged committee Advance poll Hills residents required to vote in the upcoming municipal election before voting day Nov 12 should take note of the following ad vance poll The only remaining advance poll is Nov Ward One and Two voters can only vote at the Acton Com munity Centre Prospect Park in Acton while Word Three and Four voters can only vote at the Hills Civic Centre at 1 Halton Hills Drive in Georgetown The polls are open between and members to support the spraying program in south or soon face an influx of the insect into forests in Milton and Hills According to a staff report the has so far received proximately calls from and Burlington residents this year enquiring what can be done to stop the moths from defoliating the forests forester Bill Haines told committee members if defoliation is permitted to continue unhin dered then there could be a loss of certain types of Oak and Birch trees as well asspecies which live He em phasized his point saying most in festation of the insect has happened in identified environmentally sen sitive areas After hearing this information committee members recommended the Region participate in the spraying program at a cost of The provinces Ministry of Natural Resources will also par ticipate in the program In making the recommendation committee members also directed Regions Health Depart ment to take further steps in deter mining if the sprays contents pose a health danger to the general public resident Bruce urged committee members to op pose the program because certain ingredients in the spray are not public knowledge The moth killing agent in the spray is Bacillus Thunngiensis which is a living bacteria The spray is also comprised of other ingredients but because they are not part of the killing agent they dont have to be made public under provincial patent regulations However staff told committee the Regional Health Department can enter into an agreement of secrecy with the sprays manufacturer to satisfy itself the contents are safe New driver restrictions Halton Planning and Public works recommended Wednesday he province make it more difficult for new drivers to earn their licen ce The recommendation will go before Regional Council this Wed nesday for final approval The recommendation calls for the Ministry of Transportation to adopt a graduated licensing scheme assuming first the Ontario Chiefs or Police Association ratifies the system Under he system there are two 12month levels The Level l licence restricts the new driver in the following ways operation of passenger vechicles only always accompanied by fully licensed driver not carrying passengers other than immediatefamily members limited to highways km per hour or less have a zero blood alcohol level not drive between midnight and The Level licence restricts the driver in the following ways no restrictions while ac companied by a fully licensed driver if unaccompanied the same restrictions as in l would