A man charged with pointing a gun at a security officer who approached him about suspected shoplifting at a Red Deer mall store was fortunate to receive an early trial date on Friday.
Brett Morgan, 35, of Red Deer will have a trial on Nov. 18 in Red Deer provincial court after he was denied bail earlier Friday.
Normally provincial court trials take about six to eight months to be scheduled in Red Deer.
However, courts attempt to speed that up if a person is in custody.
The early date arose when another lawyer said his trial date that day was most likely to collapse, freeing up a day.
Morgan faces several charges after allegedly pointing a gun at a mall security officer on Oct. 8.
RCMP responded to a call at The Bay in Bower Place Shopping Centre.
Police said a loss prevention officer approached a man following an alleged shoplifting attempt. When the suspect was confronted in the mall parking lot, he allegedly produced a handgun and pointed it at the security officer. The suspect then fled.
The suspect was arrested the following day.
Morgan is charged with single counts of robbery, pointing a firearm, robbery with a firearm, possession of property obtained by crime and driving while disqualified. He also faces two counts of theft of less than $5,000.