Media Releases

EPS asks for public's support by adhering to Health Act orders

02 Apr 2020 20:27:40 UT

Communication and education over enforcement will be the primary objective for EPS members responding to situations involving non-compliance of the Public Health Act orders recently legislated to slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout Edmonton.

“The fundamental focus is for all citizens to adhere to compliance within the Orders. An enforcement mechanism is now at our disposal for those who demonstrate utter disregard to follow the Orders that have been established in the interests of public safety,” says Supt. Dean Hilton, of the EPS Pandemic Command. “We are experiencing a critical health situation that requires everyone’s compliance versus a necessity to levy fines to businesses or individuals during this challenging time.

“We’ve been called upon by the Premier and the Chief Medical officer to enforce these orders to ensure that all Edmontonians are strictly adhering to the rules to slow the spread of this dangerous virus.”

It is an offence under the Public Health Act to not comply with Orders and may result in a fine ranging from $1,000 to $500,000, depending on the circumstances. These orders will be enforced by police and peace officers, immediately.

Public complaints about non-compliance with any of the Medical Officer of Health’s orders should be made online at: https://ephisahs.microsoftcrmportals.com/create-case/, and not to 911, which is for emergency situations only. This will allow the proper response and ensure the efficient use of all resources.

Some of the main violations that police, peace and bylaw officers can be called upon to enforce include the following:

· Gatherings of more than 15 people are prohibited – indoors or outdoors, including places of worship, weddings, funerals, staff meetings, etc. that would be in person.

· Everyone must be two metres away from every other person (obviously parents of small children can be as close as they need to be to ensure their safety, etc.) in public, and people who aren’t living in the same household must be two metres away from each other in private spaces.

· Exception: Carpooling is allowed for families to travel together or co-workers to travel to work together in the same vehicle.

· Schools and post-secondary institutions are closed to in-person classes.

· Most daycare facilities are closed – exceptions for group family child care, approved family day homes, and certain facilities for children of essential service employees.

· Everyone is prohibited from attending recreational and entertainment facilities as well as bars and nightclubs where minors are prohibited by law.

· Businesses that offer non-essential health services (i.e. those that would not endanger the person’s life, health, or safety if not immediately provided), wellness services, and any retail stores are prohibited from offering or providing services.

· Exception – essential services (those crucial for preserving life, health, public safety, and basic societal functioning), take-out or delivery services from food serving facilities (including delivery of liquor by businesses with liquor licenses).

· Businesses that are allowed to be open must prevent the risk of transmission to co-workers and members of the public, maintain high levels of hygiene, and have a rapid response plan ready if anyone develops symptoms.

· Visitors are generally prohibited from attending health-care facilities, with several specific exceptions.

· Isolation – People who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or exhibit any of its symptoms (unless they have tested negative and have no known exposure) must remain in their homes – no attending work, school, social events, or other gatherings and not using public transportation – and stay two metres away from all people in their home at all times, for a minimum of 10 days or later if their symptoms persist.

· If police observe someone with COVID-19 symptoms outside of that person’s home police can investigate and enforce this isolation requirement.

· Quarantine – anyone who returned from international travel or had close contact with a person who has COVID-19 must remain in their place of residence – not attending work, school, social events, or other gatherings, and using public transportation – for at least 14 days. During this time they must monitor themselves for symptoms. . If the quarantined person develops symptoms, they then become in isolation, and the first day of their symptoms starts the first day of their minimum 10-day isolation period.

For a full description of these orders, visit Alberta Government’s website for updates at www.alberta.ca.

Police looking to identify suspects who stole woman's vehicle from gas station

02 Apr 2020 16:18:00 UT

On Monday, March 30, 2020, at approximately 8 p.m., Northeast Division Patrol officers were dispatched to a gas station in the area of 92 Street and 144 Avenue on the report of a vehicle theft. Upon arrival, they located a 47-year-old female complainant who had her 2015 maroon Honda CRV stolen while standing outside of her vehicle.

It was reported that three individuals, two males wearing balaclavas and one female, forcefully took the woman’s vehicle and fled the scene. The woman was dragged a short distance by her vehicle, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators are releasing a photo of the female suspect captured on CCTV footage in an attempt to identify her. Images of the two males are not available at this time. Investigators are urging anyone with information regarding the woman’s identity or the two male suspects she was with, to contact police.

Assist to ID female suspect involved in vehicle theft

Police seek tips in west Edmonton shooting

01 Apr 2020 22:10:00 UT

The Edmonton Police Service is seeking the public’s assistance identifying several males involved in a shooting in west Edmonton last week.

On Monday, March 23, 2020, at approximately 2:40 a.m., West Division officers responded to the report of a shooting in the parking lot behind a business in the area of 125 Street and 118 Avenue. It was reported to police that a group of males were involved in a physical altercation at this location when one of the males discharged a firearm at another male. The group then dispersed, with some of the males leaving the scene in two different vehicles. To date, no injuries have been reported to police.

Police are releasing a video, and several photos of the individuals and vehicles, in hopes that someone may recognize them.

Photos of some of the males are included below.

Below are photos of the vehicles. They are described as a silver or white four-door Jeep SUV and a dark coloured four-door sedan.

Silver or white four-door Jeep SUV

Dark coloured four-door sedan

Anyone with information about the individuals or vehicles involved in this crime are asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.

Wanted man located

01 Apr 2020 21:32:58 UT

The Edmonton Police Service has located 21-year-old Jaremy Krause, who was wanted on breach of conditions.

On February 27, 2020, the EPS issued a news release seeking public assistance to locate Krause after a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to attend court.

Last evening, Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2020, Krause was located and arrested at a residence in the downtown area. He remains in police custody at this time.

Police seeing recurrence of buy-and-sell robberies

31 Mar 2020 18:27:29 UT

The Edmonton Police Service is alerting citizens to a string of robberies involving cell phones offered for sale through online marketplaces such as Kijiji, Letgo and Facebook.

Last Thursday, March 26, at approximately 7 p.m., a seller and a male posing as an interested buyer had arranged through Kijiji to meet up in a parking lot in the area of 144 Avenue and 75 Street to complete the sale of a cell phone. It was reported to police that the male suspect arrived at the meeting location, pepper sprayed the seller and fled on foot with the phone.

Later that same evening, at approximately 9 p.m., a buyer and a male posing as a seller had arranged through Facebook to meet up in the area of 128 Avenue and 44 Street to complete the sale of a cell phone for the mutually agreed-upon price of $900. It was reported that the buyer was then accosted by two males armed with knives, who demanded the $900 in cash before fleeing the scene on foot.

On March 30 at approximately 10 p.m., another near-robbery occurred in the area of Menisa Park. In this instance, the suspect got into a vehicle with the seller and tried unsuccessfully to snatch the phone before producing a knife and fleeing on foot.

Police have not yet determined whether the three events are related.

“We always advise caution when meeting up with strangers, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, I would question whether we need to be having these meetups at all,” says Det. Calvin Mah, EPS Northeast Division. “There’s no easy way to examine and test the item and complete the sale while observing the two-meter distancing that is being asked of us by our health officials. If you must have a meetup, please do so in a safe, public location, such as the new EPS Safe Exchange Zone at our Southwest Division station, and practice social distancing and hand hygiene as recommended by AHS.”

The new EPS Safe Exchange Zone consists of two marked parking stalls at EPS Southwest Division, at 1351 Windermere Way. EPS members will not be available to assist citizens with negotiations of any property transactions at the Safe Exchange Zone.

Police also recommend that if you must meet in person to arrange a sale, bring someone else with you, tell a family member or friend when and where you are doing the transaction and when you expect to be done. Police also advise that you avoid bringing large amounts of cash to a transaction, and pay attention to your instincts. If something feels off at any point, abandon the sale.

Student visa fraud affecting prospective students abroad

31 Mar 2020 15:00:00 UT

In 2019, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) received 17 reports of Immigration Scams, and 16 of those victims reported an overall loss of $730,250.31 CAD.

Hadil lives in Palestine and wanted to study at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. To do this, Hadil had to research the process of applying for a Canadian study permit. During her research online, she was contacted via social media by someone who knew an immigration attorney. The attorney, “Renaud”, connected with Hadil and identified himself as an immigration attorney with CANADIM, and even sent her their website to confirm the legitimacy. Renaud was listed on their website as the Founder and Managing Partner of the law firm, so Hadil continued to communicate with him and begin the process of obtaining her study permit.

Renaud advised Hadil that the cost would be $2990 USD ($3846 CAD) to be sent to his assistant; Hadil agreed and paid from her account with the Bank of Palestine. Hadil’s mother voiced her concerns about the transaction, so she contacted Hadil’s brother-in-law, Mohammed, who lives in Edmonton to ask him to take over the visa arrangements and Hadil’s schooling. Mohammed requested an invoice for the initial payment, and Renaud also detailed the application process, and how Hadil’s student visa was dependent on the verification that she was registered in a Canadian school, including a list of courses she was registered in. Renaud continued and said for Hadil to register for school, she’d have to pay $6095 USD ($8059 CAD), and it would have to be paid to the Dean of International Students.

This new contact for payment was a red flag for Mohammed, so he contacted CANADIM using the phone number that was listed on their website, which was different than the one they were originally given. This phone call confirmed Mohammed’s suspicions, as CANADIM confirmed the receipt he was given was not from their organization. Mohammed and Hadil ceased all contact and reported this fraud to police. Thankfully, Hadil was able to recover $2700 USD of the $3000 USD sent. Mohammed continues to be contacted by the scammers, trying to get the $6095 USD from him.

Investigations into this fraud uncovered the following details:

The scammer was using a phone number from Nova Scotia.
The number being used over WhatsApp was from Abilene, Texas.
CANADIM does have an attorney by the name of Renaud, so the scammer was pretending to be him.
The money Hadil had sent actually went to another fraud victim in British Columbia. This victim is a minor who had been cat-phished by an online predator earlier in 2019. This victim’s bank account had been compromised and all money was taken. Because of this, the victim was unaware that Hadil’s money was put into their account until their bank advised them.

“Like Hadil’s incident, most frauds are intertwined as a way to launder the money and keep the fraudsters’ identities and financial information a secret,” Detective Linda Herczeg with EPS’ Economic Crimes explained. “Sadly, it revictimizes citizens who feel trapped in their original scam, which typically involves extortion.”

Many victims of immigration fraud are convinced of the fraudulent claims simply out of fear. They have come to Canada to build a positive life for themselves and their families, and they don’t want to lose what they have. If you’re contacted by someone who claims to be from a foreign embassy, border guard, immigration attorney, Canadian Immigration office, or simply anyone who is contacting you with a quick fix for any claims against you, verify the contact and business information before acting on it. Please don’t be afraid to come forward and find the organization’s legitimate contact details to ask what is real.

Please see our webpage for more immigration fraud information.

Investigators seek public’s assistance to identify person of interest in connection to Powder Taylor homicide

30 Mar 2020 17:23:14 UT

The Edmonton Police Service Homicide Section is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a person of interest in connection to the March 9th murder of Kirk Dallas Powder Taylor

Investigators are releasing a surveillance image of a male carrying a backpack captured at 4:50 p.m., March 9, 2020, near 97 Street and 106 Avenue, close to where Powder Taylor, 42, was shot and killed that afternoon. Homicide investigators are looking to identify and speak with the person seen in the surveillance image below.

Anyone who can identify this individual and/or has information related to this homicide investigation is encouraged to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.

Background:
On Monday, March 9, 2020 at approximately 5 p.m., Downtown Division officers responded to the area and found an injured man lying on the ground in an alley. The man was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

An autopsy undertaken by the Edmonton Medical Examiner confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound and manner of death is homicide.

Assist to Identify: Homicide investigators are seeking the public's assistance to identify the person of interest seen here in connection with the March 9th murder of Kirk Dallas Powder Taylor, 42, in an alley near 97 Street and 106 Avenue. Anyone with information is asked to contact EPS.

Missing female youth located

30 Mar 2020 03:45:00 UT

Sonya McGillis, 16, who was reported missing by police yesterday, Saturday, March 28, 2020, has been located safe and unharmed.

The EPS would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance.

Police lay more than 70 charges in armed robbery

25 Mar 2020 20:45:33 UT

The Edmonton Police Service has arrested two male suspects and issued warrants for a third after they allegedly robbed a restaurant at gun point.

On March16, 2020, at approximately 9 p.m., three suspects entered a restaurant in the area of 83 Street and 160 Avenue wearing masks and brandishing firearms. It was reported that the trio demanded money from the register and proceeded to steal the safe.

The group then fled the scene in a red truck, but were followed by a witness to a nearby location, where the suspects got out of the red truck and began to transition to a white truck. When the three suspects noticed the witness attempting to take photos of them, one of the suspects allegedly discharged a firearm at the witness. The witness was not injured, and the trio continued to flee in the white truck.

EPS officers working in the area of 64 Street and 131 Avenue then observed the white truck stopping and the occupants fleeing on foot. One suspect was intercepted, while Canine Unit tracked a second suspect to a residence, where another subject was seen leaving in a vehicle. The vehicle was followed by Air1 until a vehicle stop could be conducted, while the residence was contained by Tactical and all occupants were successfully taken into custody for questioning.

Police have charged three males in relation to the March 16 robbery. Jason Oltmanns, 38, Jason Munn, 47 and John Webber, 38, are facing 77 charges between them, including robbery with a firearm and disguise with intent. Oltmanns and Munn were arrested; warrants have been issued for Webber.

“This arrest was an example of outstanding teamwork across our service, including Northeast Division, Robbery, Canine, Tactical, Air1, Surveillance, and Forensic Ident Services,” says Staff Sergeant Colin Leathem, with Robbery Section.

EPS Robbery Section continues to monitor series and trends as usual, and is not currently seeing an increase in robberies of commercial properties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You're one of a million

25 Mar 2020 13:00:00 UT

In 2019, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) received 377 reports of mass marketing frauds where the primary contact method was a phone call to either a cell phone or a landline with an overall loss of $3,925,847.76.

Unlike other frauds, mass marketing scams target a large population at once, in hopes of victimizing as many people as possible.

Last year, Lois Valentine was one of the masses who was contacted over the phone by a vishing fraudster. Lois was ill and resting at home when she received a phone call from someone who identified himself as an RBC employee. He was calling to tell Lois that her credit card had been compromised, and she owed $1100. In Lois’ foggy mind, she was convinced that this was a genuine compromise and provided her banking and credit card information. Then the caller began to tell her to purchase Google Play cards, totalling $900 to pay her outstanding balance. The caller tried to arrange a meeting at Kingsway Mall so she could supply the cards to him.

Thankfully, Lois chose to attend her bank before purchasing the Play cards. The RBC employees informed her that the phone call was a scam, and her accounts had never been compromised.

Since Lois avoided the $900 potential fraud, the fraudster called Lois 22 additional times. Investigations into the phone number discovered that the fraudster was spoofing a North York, Ontario man’s number. He advised that he was not involved in this scam, but unfortunately, he has been contacted 52 times about his number being used by fraudsters, which he reported to his local police service.

What makes this story stand out is that there was a local fraudster involved. We tend to attribute frauds with international scammers, but this one had someone who was willing to confront Lois in public to obtain the Play cards.

“All month we have been asking citizens to take that extra pause when they are unsure about a phone call, text or email, or social media request for personal or financial information,” said Detective Linda Herczeg with EPS’ Economic Crimes Section. “In that pause, you allow yourself to see the red flags. Trust your gut and question these suspicious requests.”

Verify these requests for personal and financial information by contacting the businesses directly. Don’t provide your information over the phone, and don’t click on a link sent by a suspicious or strange contact. Instead, hang up and find their contact details and call to confirm the message or phone call you received.

Please see our website for more mass marketing fraud prevention information.