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Thursday, February 6, 2025
Suspects steal almost $1,000 of alcohol from LCBO in Virgil
Police are searching for three suspects, who were last seeing heading east in a white Ford Transit van after leaving the LCBO with stolen alcohol. PAIGE SEBURN

Police are searching for suspects involved in a theft at the LCBO in Virgil over the weekend, who made off with at least one grocery cart full of booze.

Niagara regional officers responded to a call regarding a theft on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 11:36 a.m. from the LCBO located at 1591 Niagara Stone Rd. The suspects had already left by the time police showed up.

Police determined three suspects came into the store, picked out an array of alcoholic beverages, bypassed the checkout counters and left the store.

CCTV footage from the LCBO and other nearby businesses showed the suspects entering a white Ford Transit van after leaving the store.

They were last seen driving east on Niagara Stone Road in the van with stolen plates.

The estimated value of the stolen alcohol is $993.35, police said.

No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

Ants Rannala, a lifelong resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake, was just walking in the store as the theft was taking place.

“It was just so overwhelming when I walked in,” he said. “I couldn’t believe what I saw.”

He said he witnessed an “intimidating” man with an alcohol bottle in each hand and another man with one or two full carts — which they pushed right past him and the LCBO workers and out of the store without paying for them.

“They looked at me, they looked at the girls [working at the LCBO],” he said. “Nothing was going to stop them.”

He said he didn’t see any other customers in the store at the time of the theft.

Rannala urges people and workers to prioritize their safety in moments like these.

“You don’t know what’s going on in their mind, whether they had anything to protect themselves in case somebody jumped on them or something.”

“In a case like that, just let them go, or you’re getting yourself into trouble and then hurt,” he said.

He said LCBO workers were taken aback by it, but they knew they couldn’t do anything.

“They were probably informed when they took the job or something — don’t get involved and let them go,” he said.

LCBO declined to comment on the theft.

“Let’s put it this way — I don’t think I want to go through this again. I mean this is totally unbelievable, you know?” Rannala said. “We live in a civilized world. You go in, you buy something, you pay for it.”

“You just don’t fill up your cart and then just push it out on the way.”

All three suspects are described as being Middle-Eastern, with the first and second described as being 35 to 45 years old, while the third is described as 45 to 55 years old, police said.

The first suspect had a black beard and black moustache curled at the ends — due to the presence of a beard, police said they’re operating under the assumption the suspect is a male. This suspect was seen wearing blue ripped jeans, a dark puffy coat, dark shoes, a grey toque with a pom-pom and a purple Rainforest Cafe hoodie.

The second suspect is described as a six-foot-tall male with a dark beard and moustache, seen wearing a dark coat, a dark hoodie pulled up over the head, dark pants and white and red sneakers.

The third suspect is described as a male with a black beard and moustache with grey hin hair, seen wearing dark clothing and a dark winter beanie.

Police said they have no description of the fourth suspect who was believed to be driving the vehicle since he was not captured or reported.

Anyone with information regarding the suspects’ identity are asked by police to call the lead investigator at 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1032200, referencing incident #25-3650.

People preferring to stay anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara either online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.

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