RCMP search for crooks following armed robberies of bars in Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont

Surveillance photos of a woman and a man RCMP are searching for in a Jan. 10, 2024, armed robbery in Lamont. (Credit: RCMP)

RCMP are looking for two men and a woman after armed robbers opened fire Wednesday night in a Lamont, Alta., bar.

Officers from both Fort Saskatchewan and Strathcona County, along with firefighters and paramedics, at 10:53 p.m. answered the call of a robbery at a licensed establishment on 51 Street and 48 Avenue.

RCMP said in a media release their preliminary investigation has found the three masked people entered the bar and used pepper spray on a clerk. "A firearm was produced and shots were fired," the release said.

No one was hit by the shots, said police. The trio stole cash from a cash register then left.

RCMP have descriptions of two of the perpetrators: a tall man with a slender build wearing a black Crooks and Castles hoodie, black jeans and a black baseball cap; and a petite woman with a fair complexion wearing a black zippered hoodie and a black tuque.

RCMP are looking for video surveillance footage from any businesses, residences or vehicles with dash cameras between 10:40 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The incident comes two days after RCMP responded to an armed robbery call in Fort Saskatchewan.

On Jan. 8 at 12:54 p.m., police and paramedics attended a motel bar on 103 Street and 100 Avenue, where it was reported two men and two women, all masked, used bear spray on a clerk, produced a handgun, stole cash then left the scene in a grey Volkswagen Jetta, which RCMP later recovered in nearby Lamoureaux.

The people sought by RCMP in the Fort Saskatchewan armed robbery are all described as wearing all-black clothing, including black winter parkas and black baseball caps.

Fort Saskatchewan is located next to Edmonton on the latter city's northeast limits. Lamont is located 52 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Anyone with information about the robberies are asked to contact Fort Saskatchewan RCMP at 780-997-7900 or to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).