Two Morley brothers have been arrested and charged after an attempted bank robbery in Cochrane.
According to Cpl. Troy Savinkoff with Cochrane RCMP, the detachment responded March 3 to complaints of a robbery at the local Royal Bank of Canada branch.
Witnesses reported that a suspect told a client he had a gun and grabbed the customer, pointing an object into their back, Savinkoff said. He added further investigation has led police to believe this was only the suspect’s hand. The suspect then told the teller he wanted to rob the bank.
“He quickly released the civilian soon after, and no actual firearm was produced,” he said.
The robbers did not make off with any cash, Savinkoff noted.
“Our members were able to arrive literally within seconds of the complaint being made,” he said. “Upon arrival, we were met by a fair amount of eyewitnesses that quickly directed us in the direction that the suspects had fled.”
The two suspects were located and apprehended a block away, according to Savinkoff. In the course of the arrest, one of the suspects was tasered.
“Unfortunately, upon attempting to arrest one of the males, he was refusing to listen to commands and started making inappropriate hand gestures toward the members,” he said.
The suspect was assessed by Emergency Medical Staff and cleared for incarceration. Ian Cecil, 38, was charged with robbery, resisting arrest, using an imitation firearm and hostage taking, and was remanded in custody until a March 5 appearance in Airdrie court.
His brother, 45-year-old Hayden Cecil, was also arrested and charged with robbery. He was released and scheduled to appear in court March 5 in Airdrie.
Drugs and alcohol are believed to have been a factor, Savinkoff said.
Ben Sherick, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BenSherick
