A 36 year old male is in custody after committing three robberies in less than an hour on the east side of Owen Sound.

Just after 9:00 a.m, front-line officers responded to the area of 8th Street and 16th Avenue East for a report of a male who had been robbed and struck in the head with what was believed to be a collapsible baton. The victim in this incident suffered a minor head injury and was taken to the hospital for treatment. He was later released with undisclosed injuries.

The second incident occurred at approximately 9:20 a.m, when a customer exited a convenience store located at 16th Avenue East and 9th Avenue. The accused demanded a cigarette from the victim and when the victim refused, the accused brandished what was believed to be a collapsible baton and threatened the victim with violence. The victim handed over a cigarette and the accused fled.

A few minutes later, the accused approached his third victim in 800 block of 16th Street East, where he demanded to use the victim's cell phone. When the victim refused, the accused partially covered his face with a bandanna and moved towards the victim threatening to kill them if they didn't turn over their phone. The victim ran away and was chased by the accused for a short distance. The victim escaped.

A short time later, officers from the Criminal Investigations Branch and the Drug and Intelligence Unit located the accused in the 700 block of 15th Street East. After a foot chase, the accused was arrested at Victoria Park. At the time of his arrest, police seized a collapsible bike pump from the accused. This is believed to be the weapon used by the accused.

While lodged in custody at the Owen Sound Police Service, the accused forcibly damaged a sprinkler head located in his cell. This resulted in the flooding of the entire cell and cellblock areas.

The accused is of no fixed address and has been charged with eight criminal offences:

1) Assault with a weapon
2) Robbery
3) Robbery
4) Robbery
5) Uttering Threats
6) Uttering Threats
7) Uttering Threats
8) Wearing a Disguise while committing a criminal offence
9) Mischief Under $5000
10-17) Breach of Probation Orders

The accused is being investigated for other criminal offences stemming from three incidents over the past weekend.

The accused will appear at the Provincial Courthouse in Owen Sound for a Bail Hearing on September 6th, 2017, in courtroom 102 at 10:00 a.m.

source: media release, Owen Sound Police