Terrace RCMP looking for tire thief

A man stealing from Fountain Tire has been captured on camera and the RCMP are asking for the public’s assistance to help find him.

Eight tires on rims were stolen between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 14 at the local business on Keith Ave. All tires were later recovered in the back parking lot of a nearby building.

The suspect is described as a white man with a thin face wearing a puffy jacket, light track pants and running shoes with stripes.

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Jaecen Aspa, the owner of Fountain Tire, posted video footage of the alleged thief to his Facebook page. He writes that there were two individuals involved but only one was captured on camera.

Surveillance shows a clear image of the man wandering through stacks of tires then carrying one away.

This is the third time Fountain Tire has been robbed since Christmas, says Aspa. In all incidents, the footage shows two to possibly three people jumping the fence and hauling out tires with shopping carts between the early hours of the morning.

”They’re probably stealing them for money,” says Aspa. He adds that with rims, some tires such can be worth $1,000 each.

The first robbery was on Dec. 26, 2018, where the thieves then hid them in a neighbouring yard. The second robbery was in the first week of January, the tires were then recovered on nearby church property.

Aspa says that it’s possible that the thieves were trying to conceal the tires as they are too heavy to move around and that he expects it may be the same group of individuals.

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Following the first two robberies, Aspa says he installed a camera within the tire yard that captured the footage Jan. 14.

“It’s very frustrating… we’re now spending more money upgrading our surveillance by adding more cameras into the backyard and such.”

He says the upgrades will cost their business between $5,000 to $10,000.

“If you see anything out of the ordinary, especially in our area, inform the police,” he said.

If you have information about this crime, please contact the Terrace RCMP at (250) 638-7400 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers by telephone at 1-800-222-TIPS, online at www.terracecrimestoppers.ca.