Armed Medicine Hat couple charged with ‘food fraud’ after allegedly skipping out on meal

A heavily m odified .22-calibre rifle was seized by Medicine Hat police after a man and woman were caught trying to skip out on a meal on June 7, 2026. (Supplied/Facebook/Medicine Hat Police Service)

Charges have been laid after police seized an illegal firearm and arrested two people who allegedly skipped out on paying for a meal at a Medicine Hat restaurant.

The Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) says officers were called to a theft in progress at a restaurant in the 2500 block of Box Springs Boulevard N.W. at 11:42 p.m. on June 7.

When police arrived, they found a woman attempting to address the outstanding bill. The second person, a man, was found inside the restaurant and arrested without incident.

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“During the arrest, officers recovered a backpack belonging to the male, ” MHPS said on Facebook.

“A search incidental to arrest resulted in the seizure of a loaded .22-calibre rifle that had been modified, along with ammunition. The firearm was concealed within a carrying case inside the backpack.”

A further investigation determined both people were in breach of court-imposed conditions and one of them was in possession of a stolen identification.

MHPS say the pair have been charged with failing to comply with court orders, various firearms offences and “food fraud” – related to the incident at the restaurant.

Both accused were remanded into custody ahead of their court hearing on June 9.