Skip to content

Armed robbery shocks Oak Bay shopkeeper

Knife used in crime

A business owner on Oak Bay Avenue was shocked when the man she’d been helping turned out to be not a customer, but an armed robber.

The incident occurred at about 6 p.m. on Nov. 6 when the business owner, Vicky Wei-Chi, was working alone in her shop, Herbal Path, at 2012 Oak Bay Ave.

She had helped a man select his purchase but when she went to ring the product into the cash register, the man rounded the counter with a knife and demanded the cash in the drawer.

Wei-Chi did as she was told and the man fled, leaving her physically unharmed but trembling with fear.

It was actually the second time that the man had entered the shop that evening, Wei-Chi said.

When he’d first arrived Wei-Chi was with a client in the back of the shop where she practices traditional Chinese healing therapies.

The man looked around and left, but returned after the client had departed and Wei-Chi had been left alone in the shop.

Police arrived with a canine unit but were unable to locate the suspect who is described as a clean-shaven Caucasian male, 35 to 40 years old, with a slim build and short brown hair. He was wearing a dark blue baseball cap, a dark blue polyester bomber-style jacket and light coloured pants.

“I think that from now on, I will keep the door locked after 5 p.m. and work by appointment only,” said Wei-Chi. “It’s very bad, my legs were shaking.”

Anyone with information regarding the robbery are asked to contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or the Oak Bay police.