A baseball bat, a folded chair and a football tackled ended this robbery attempt in Nipawin yesterday evening. (screen shot/Facebook)

By Susan McNeil

Robbery attempt foiled

Nipawin store clerks take down armed robber

Dec 9, 2022 | 7:33 PM

A football tackle, a folded chair, and a baseball bat were used by three convenience store clerks at the Nipawin Esso Paramart to stop a robbery attempt in its tracks Thursday afternoon.

In a video making the rounds on social media, a man can be seen walking into the Paramart Esso on Highway 55 on the east side of the community and pointing a gun at the clerk.

Manager Brennan Jardine says the gun was a loaded, sawed-off shotgun.

“He told the staff ‘don’t move,’ but they didn’t listen to him. They ran into the back,” explained Jardine.

The robber can be seen heading around to the back of the counter when the staff comes back.

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“One of the guys sort of tackled him and got ahold of the gun,” he explained.

A second clerk is then seen with a folding chair hitting the suspect who then falls to the floor. As the first two staff hold him down, the third clerk watches over holding a baseball bat.

They had already called 911 when the robber first came in and they held him down until police arrived.

While Jardine said he would not advise his staff to take on people with guns, he is pleased that the incident turned out the way it did.

“The results couldn’t have been any better,” he said. “Nobody got shot, nobody really got hurt. One of the staff members had some minor injuries.”

Jardine oversees both the Nipawin Paramart and the former Cumberland Crossing Inn (now a Travelodge), both owned by the Cumberland House Cree Nation.

He said he and the Nation take the safety of guests and staff seriously and the robbery issue in Nipawin is the first that he knows of in the community.

“Hopefully, that won’t happen again. We’re trying to beef up security and we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping people safe at the hotel,” Jardine said.

They will review the incident and use it as a tool to help train staff should anything similar ever happen in the future.

RCMP have charged 25-year-old Robert McKay of Shoal Lake with multiple charges, including robbery with a firearm, pointing a firearm, wearing a disguise with intent, possession of a weapon contrary to an order, having a restricted gun without a license, and failing to comply with a probation order.

McKay will make his first court appearance on the charges in Melfort Provincial Court on Monday, December 12.