Vancouver Police say charges have been laid after a suspect pulled a meat cleaver on store staff during a mask dispute.

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Sergeant Steve Addison says on Monday January 3, a 23-year-old suspect was shopping at grocery store on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver  when a staff member noticed he wasn’t wearing a mask.

When the employee told him to mask up, he apparently pulled out the meat cleaver, threatened the worker, then left the store without paying for the groceries.

“Because the victim called police right away, VPD officers were able to respond quickly and arrest the suspect, who was trying to leave in a taxi,” says Sergeant Steve Addison. “The stolen goods were returned to the store and the suspect was taken to jail. Fortunately, nobody was physically hurt.”

According to Addison, Cody Echlin was charged with one count of robbery and released on bail.