Powell River RCMP are looking for two witnesses to an armed robbery at a local gas station.
Officers say they were called to the Shell gas station on Joyce Avenue at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
They say a man entered the gas station with a knife, approached a female customer standing in line and motioned with the knife for her to leave. A second person paid for their items and left the store.
Police say the man went to the cashier and demanded lottery tickets. When the cashier refused, officers say the suspect walked around the counter and demanded money from the cash register.
Another employee then entered the store and interrupted the robbery, according to police.
RCMP say they identified the man through video surveillance as 39-year-old Blake Anthony Irwin from Powell River. They say he was arrested shortly after outside his residence.
Irwin was held in custody and released on tele bail by a Provincial Court judge. Police say he is facing charges of robbery, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and failure to comply with a probation order.
Irwin is set to appear in provincial court on Sept. 20.
Powell River RCMP want to speak to the customers inside the gas station when the robbery began or any other individuals who may have witnessed anything.
Witnesses are asked to contact Powell River RCMP at 604-485-6255.
