ON Monday, September 26 at 4:12 p.m., Abbotsford Police responded to a report of a robbery in progress at a local gas station in the 32400-block of South Fraser Way.

A lone man entered the gas station and proceeded to steal items from within the store. When confronted by the store clerk, the man whipped out a large sword and swung it at the clerk, before fleeing the store on foot.
Officers were immediately dispatched to the area where they located and arrested the man within 12 minutes of the call to police. Remarkably, although extremely shaken, the store clerk was not injured.
Thirty-year-old Jarred Whitham of Abbotsford has now been charged with robbery, willfully resisting or obstructing a Peace Officer and breach of probation. He remains in custody pending his next court appearance.
“Each day, our officers respond to shoplifter-related calls where the suspects are often carrying weapons. These calls pose a risk to public safety within our community. Many of these incidents are repeat offenders being continuously released back into our community,” said Sgt. Paul Walker on Wednesday.