‘Dangerous Person’ Alert Issued as Alberta RCMP Seek Armed Robbery Suspects

The RCMP logo is seen on the shoulder of a superintendent during a news conference, held on June 24, 2023, in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Alberta RCMP say they have been unsuccessful in tracking down the two armed robbery suspects who prompted a “dangerous person alert” in a small town 90 minutes west of Edmonton.

It’s believed the men are no longer in the Mayerthorpe area and that there is no immediate threat to the community, police said.

The emergency alert was issued at 10:15 a.m. on Sept. 17 for Mayerthorpe and Lac Ste. Anne County after Mounties responded to a report of a stolen vehicle. Officers found the vehicle abandoned a short time later.

“Two men armed with guns are on foot after a robbery,” the alert said. “Do not open the door to strangers or pick up hitchhikers. Do not approach suspects.”

The alert was particularly pertinent in the vicinity of Highway 18 and Township Road 572, situated between Range Road 92 and Range Road 80, police said.

One suspect is described as a white male, approximately 30 years old, five feet 11 inches tall, 205 pounds with dark hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a cowboy hat and black sweater.

The second man is six feet tall and roughly 220 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black flat brim hat with red letters.

Northern Gateway Public Schools, which oversees several schools in Mayerthorpe and other nearby communities, announced on social media that Elmer Elson Elementary School and Mayerthorpe High School had enacted a “precautionary hold and secure.”

“Students are safe and in class, and will be kept in the school until the Hold and Secure has been lifted,” the school board said.

The measure, which was put in place at 10:30 a.m., was lifted as of 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 17.

Although the suspects are no longer believed to be in the area, RCMP say the public should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.

The latest safety alert follows a double shooting last month that left a Rocky View County employee dead on a highway east of Calgary, and prompted a shelter-in-place order near Strathmore.

Two suspects fled the scene of the shooting in a white half-ton pickup truck that was part of Rocky View County’s fleet, police said. An “extensive search” failed to reveal the whereabouts of the suspects and the alert was cancelled several hours later.

Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, was arrested Aug. 11 in and was charged with first-degree murder in the Aug. 6 shooting death of Colin Hough, a married father of two young children. He also faces attempted murder charges in the shooting of another individual, police said in an Aug. 12 press release.

The second suspect in the shootings remained at large until Sept. 13 when, after a more than month-long manhunt, RCMP announced the arrest of 28-year-old Elijah Blake Strawberry.

“Following an intense search, members of the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit successfully and safely arrested Elijah Strawberry,” the RCMP said. “With this arrest, the Alberta RCMP are confident both suspects involved in the Aug. 6, 2024, homicide and attempted murder are in custody.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.