RCMP respond to frustrated downtown business owner following alleged assault

A downtown business owner who said she was punched during a suspected theft has resulted in a frustrated victim and a public response from the RCMP.

The incident began at around 2:50 in the afternoon on Tuesday (Oct. 22nd) when Kate Roxburgh, owner of Topaz Beads Gallery, located at 1280 4th Ave, said she saw a woman in her store pocket an item.

When the woman tried to leave, Roxburgh said she stood by the door and demanded that the suspect return the item.

“That’s when she started saying you f***** b****. I just said ‘I want what’s in your pocket, you have something, you’ve stolen it and I want it back’. She became more and more agitated and I said I was more than happy to move away from the door if she just returns what is mine.”

According to Roxburgh, the woman tried to push by her and both ended up outside on the sidewalk, where the suspected thief then punched Roxburgh in the face, causing her nose to bleed.

The store owner said during the entire incident, a customer was on the phone relaying what was happening to the police. By the time the altercation was over, about 12 minutes by Roxburgh’s estimation, police had not come. Roxburgh said the RCMP asked if she still wanted them to come, which she refused at that point.

Roxburgh posted about the event on her own Facebook profile but it was shared by others on some community pages.

RCMP Corporal Craig Douglass sent a media release this afternoon addressing the incident and Roxburgh’s post.

“Earlier this week, a business owner from downtown Prince George went to social media to complain about the lack of response from the police following an incident involving a shoplifter in her retail store. Social media posts are rarely the full story and often contain opinions and emotions, and may lack facts.  After reviewing audio recordings, time-stamped documents and speaking with personnel, the Prince George RCMP would like to provide details of the situation,” said Douglass.

“The police operator remained online to try to gain more information about the location and what took place, so that police could be dispatched.  While this was occurring, the owner of the business returned and was advised by the customer that the police wanted to speak to her about the incident that had just occurred.  The owner advised the customer that she did not want to speak to the police.  With no cooperation from the victim, details of the event, description of the suspect or specific location, officers were not dispatched.”

Roxburgh said she later file a report. Police are now looking for the suspect, who is described as:

• First Nations female
• Approximately 20 years old
• Long dark hair with blonde streaks
• 170 cm (5’7″)
• Slender build
• Wearing a grey knee-length puffy jacket with a red purse

“The Prince George RCMP are responsible for policing hundreds of businesses and over 20,000 residences in the City of Prince George.  The police need information from victims and witnesses in order to legally make an arrest of a suspect.  We need the public’s cooperation and timely reporting to be most effective with the resources we have.  Twenty-four hours a day our officers do their best to keep the people of this community, and surrounding communities safe.  Those officers respond to an average of 117 calls for service per day.”

Roxburgh said there wasn’t much point in filing a report after the fact, though she eventually did.

“What for? They aren’t going to do anything. Nothing will come of it, even if you do arrest her she’ll be out again in two minutes and on the street again doing what she does,” said Roxburgh.

“They could have easily come. It was long enough that they would have had time to come and arrest her.”