Dramatic video shows two armed robberies in central Alberta

Armed robbery at central Alberta bar We have exclusive video of an armed robbery at a hotel bar in central Alberta

Two separate, but equally frightening, armed robberies were caught by surveillance cameras in central Alberta.

During the past month there have been a number of armed robberies in the area, which are being investigated by RCMP.

The Rimbey Grand Hotel Tavern located north-west of Red Deer was robbed at gunpoint on Sunday Jan. 15.

Surveillance footage shows two masked men walking into the bar. One appeared to be carrying a sawed-off shotgun. It is unclear what the second man was holding.

According to the video, in just 40 seconds one of the men gets cash from the bartender, while the other allegedly held a waitress at gunpoint off camera.

“As they’re leaving he’s walking backwards with his finger on the trigger,” Tavern Manager Carly Makofka told CTV Edmonton. “That is concerning and scary,” she said.

According to Makofka there has been a growing number of incidents like this in the area. For example, on Jan. 5, 2017 a gas station in Blackfalds was also robbed at gunpoint.

“I think there is a spike because we’ve never had other bar owners and gas station owners coming to us to compare footage,” she said.

On Monday, a similar incident happened at a confectionary north-west of Red Deer in Sylvan Lake.

Video from the surveillance cameras show the owner of the Bayshore Market was behind the store counter, when two armed suspects rushed in around 7:30 a.m. and threw a bag at him.

After getting what they wanted, the two suspects fled the scene in a dark sedan.

RCMP told CTV Edmonton that incident may not have been the first robbery for the suspects that day – it’s believed they could have robbed a 26-year-old man at a bus stop in Red Deer earlier in the morning.

“[They are] similar in regards to the weapon used and descriptions of the suspects in Red Deer a short time before that, it’s believed at this time it’s likely connected,” Cpl. Kevin Halwa told CTV Edmonton. “We’re still working on those connections.”

In addition to the robberies at Rimbey Grand Hotel and Bayshore Market, RCMP are also investigating robberies of businesses and pedestrians in Ponoka, Red Deer and Wetaskiwin, all of which occurred in the past month and a half.

They have not said whether all the robberies are connected.

In the meantime, RCMP has recommended more lighting and surveillance cameras to deter criminals.

With files from CTV Edmonton