By James Wood

Suspect sought after daylight vehicle robbery outside local daycare

Sep 22, 2017 | 9:42 AM

MEDICINE HAT, ALTA- A Medicine Hat woman will be locking her vehicle from now on, after a daylight robbery in the Gas City.

Alexandra Munro had gone to the John Miller Daycare in Crestwood around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, to pick up her five year old son from daycare. After pulling up to the centre, Munro walked inside to pick up her son, leaving her vehicle for a few minutes.

Speaking with CHAT News on Thursday, Munro indicated she hadn’t locked her vehicle, and had left her purse on the front passengers seat, a pair of decisions which she soon regretted. After she left the daycare and made her way back to her vehicle with her son, she encountered a strange, middle aged man, sitting in the front seat, going through her belongings.

“I was confused and shocked, I was feeling so many weird emotions,” said Munro.

“I walked up to him and I asked him ‘what are you doing?’ He just looked at me, doesn’t say anything, and then shrugged his shoulders. I walked up closer, and asked him again. He still didn’t respond, and looked right at my son. I opened the car door for him, and said get out.”

HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Summer pool hours extended and discounts applied as Big Marble Go Centre upgrades start

Apr 18, 2024

Medicine Hat company drawing in clients with witty signage

Apr 16, 2024

Medicine Hat College holding event for missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness day

Apr 16, 2024

After she forcefully told the man to exit the vehicle a second time, the man decided to move.

“He got out of my vehicle, and checked me and my son out again, just looking at us, and then he slowly started walking away,” said Munro.

As the man left in the direction of the Crestwood Pool, Munro contacted police, and gave a description of the man. According to Munro, the officer she spoke with said the man matched a description from another incident in the Crestwood area.

Munro described the man as standing five feet six inches tall, wearing a red baseball cap at the time of the incident, along with a black, baggy hoodie with white and red writing. He also had scarring on his face.

Since the robbery, Munro said she’s going to be more cautious in future, and that she had never experienced something like it before.

“I keep on having flashbacks, just looking into my vehicle and seeing this weird stranger going through my purse,” said Munro.

“It’s not something that I ever want to experience again, it’s very, very scary, and knowing that that man was outside my son’s daycare, that’s very scary. I’m very thankful he never tried to harm us. It could have gone really badly, especially with my five year old there.”

She advised residents of Medicine Hat to keep their vehicle doors locked.

“Even if if you’re going to do a two minute in and out,” said Munro.

“I was only in that daycare for like, four minutes tops, and I got two hundred dollars out of my pocket in therapy because of that. You really need to watch. I will always lock my vehicle now, no matter where I’m going.”

She has been posting to local social media with a description of the man, and hopes to hear more about him in the near future.

“I’m still looking for him, and I’m going to find him,” said Munro.

Police are continuing to investigate the matter.