Wabamun, Alberta – On Sept. 28, 2022, at approximately 5:20 p.m. Parkland RCMP responded to a report of a robbery at a hardware store in Wabamun. The suspect allegedly attempted to leave the store without paying for a machete and boxes of power tools. When store staff tried to stop him, he allegedly began swinging the machete (which was still in it’s packaging) and struck one of the staff members with it. Fortunately, there were no resulting injuries.
The suspect then fled in a vehicle. Staff were able to provide the licence plate and description of the vehicle to police. Through investigation, police learned that the licence plate had been stolen off of a similar vehicle in Stony Plain,. Alta., but this was not the suspect vehicle.
A short time later, Parkland RCMP received reports of a vehicle matching the suspect description driving on sidewalks and trails in Spruce Grove, Alta. The Parkland RCMP Drug and Crime Reduction Units were deployed to assist, and they were able to track the vehicle to a rural property north of Spruce Grove.
A male exited the vehicle and fled into the treeline, but was quickly arrested. The male was identified as 36-year-old Edward Allan Maurice Vredegoor, a resident of Stony Plain. His clothing at the time of arrest was a match to the security footage of the robbery suspect. The machete was located in the vehicle, which was determined to have been stolen from Spruce Grove earlier the same day. The arrest occurred shortly before 9 p.m.
Parkland RCMP held Edward Allen Maurice Vredegoor for a bail hearing. He was subsequently released and is set to appear at the Stony Plain Provincial Courthouse on Oct. 26, 2022. He is charged with the following:
Robbery
Assault with a weapon
Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
Uttering threats
Theft under $5000 x3
Flight from peace officer
Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
Possession of property obtained by crime for the purpose of trafficking x2
Disguised with intent to commit an offence
Theft of a motor vehicle
Parkland RCMP would like to thank and encourage the public to continue to report suspicious behaviour. It is with the public’s assistance that police were able to identify and locate the suspect vehicle so quickly.
Parkland RCMP
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