A man who appeared to be armed walked into a St. Albert home while its owner was awake early on the morning of April 25, and within a minute he made off with cash, keys and the homeowner's truck.
Akinsdale resident Bobby McGugan was relaxing in his bedroom when the masked stranger entered the house through the unlocked front door at 6:11 a.m. that Sunday. At 6:12 a.m., the thief walked down the front porch, hopped into McGugan's 2017 Dodge Ram 1500, and drove away.
McGugan didn't discover the daylight theft for several hours, and initially thought he had misplaced his keys. When McGugan first realized his truck was no longer parked on his driveway on Abbey Crescent, he believed friends were spoofing him.
“I thought my friends were playing a joke and moved the truck. It was my birthday the day before, and I thought it was a birthday prank,” McGugan said.
Then he checked his security video, and was stunned at what he saw.
“(I was) shocked to see a person walk through my front door and they were armed," McGugan said. "It was one of the scariest realizations I ever had.”
His Sunday morning started out like any other. “It was fully light outside. I poked my head out the door to check the weather and my mailbox for flyers. I didn’t lock the front door and went to my bedroom," McGugan said. "My electric fireplace was on and it had a blower. There was enough background noise that I didn’t hear anything. I don’t know what would have happened if I’d encountered him.”
His keys and wallet were on the kitchen counter about 10 steps from the front door.
In the security video feed, the man was shown wearing a grey tracksuit with an Adidas logo, purple gloves, and a dark mask. An orange handle stuck out from the man's pant leg. At first, McGugan thought the orange object was a gun. But when he shared the video online, Facebook viewers suggested it might be a hatchet.
“That’s the fear – who knows if he had a weapon?”
St. Albert RCMP responded to his 911 call within 20 minutes. They took a statement and went door-to-door to check if anybody noticed unusual activity. McGugan said a neighbour's security camera faced the road and it had picked up footage of a dark-coloured Jeep circling the block twice that morning.
Although the Jeep’s windows were tinted, it is believed at least two people were in the vehicle and that it dropped off the thief.
McGugan believes he was a random target and does not know anyone with the stranger’s facial structure, height and gait.
“The way he was moving and walking, he stumbles out the door. He doesn’t look overly put together. He has purple gloves on and baggy clothes, probably covering different clothes underneath. He was so brazen. I would find it hard to believe he hasn’t done it before,” McGugan said.
“He’s a scary type of individual coming into St. Albert. What makes me nervous is when people have success, they will try again.”
In addition to dealing with the stress of lost property, contacting his insurance company, having his locks re-keyed, and reprogramming his garage door, McGugan feels his peace of mind was violated and replaced by the realization that safety in the home can be compromised.
“I want to raise awareness. I've lived in St. Albert my whole life and I’ve always locked my door. But the one time you don’t do it, it happens,” he said.
“Right now, I’m honestly grateful for my safety and the collaboration of the RCMP. I’ve received lots of well-wishes from the community and I’m coming to terms with everything. I just want to reach out and raise awareness and let people know this stuff happens.”
RCMP said offenders from neighbouring communities will often visit St. Albert by way of Anthony Henday Drive and Ray Gibbon Drive and hit the nearest neighbourhoods.
A black Jeep Patriot with a burned-out passenger headlight may be connected to the robbery, according to RCMP. Investigators are asking anyone with information to call 780-458-7700 or report it online at www.P3Tips.com.
