OTTAWA Police announced on Thursday that they have arrested Kamalpreet Brar, 34, of Ottawa in connection to commercial robberies.

The Ottawa Police Robbery Unit had been investigating a string of commercial robberies since mid-December involving the same male suspect who was captured on video. The male suspect would enter the commercial establishment, produce a knife and demand money. No injuries were reported.

On Tuesday, December 25, at approximately 10:20 a.m., the male suspect entered a commercial establishment carrying a knife and demanded money. An undisclosed amount of money was provided to him and he then fled the store heading on Poulin Avenue. A member of the public who entered the store and saw what occurred, followed the suspect, and engaged him in a confrontation that ended in a citizen’s arrest, without incident.

Frontline officers soon responded to a call from the clerk and completed the arrest.

Brar is charged with five counts each of armed robbery, possession of a weapon, and wear a disguise.

He was also charged in relation to four other robberies:

* Tuesday, December 18 at 1:24 p.m., in the 500-block of Hazeldean Road.
* Friday, December 21 at 6:20 a.m., in the 700-block of Baseline Road.
* Sunday, December 23 at 2 p.m., in the 300-block of Viewmount Drive.
* Sunday, December 23 at 7 p.m., in the 800-block of Meadowlands Drive.
The Ottawa Police thanked the member of the public who assisted police during the incident.