A Stettler couple married for nearly 40 years bravely tried to fight off a pair of knife- and gun-toting robbers on Tuesday.
The woman escaped with minor knife cuts to her hands after the masked thugs came into the town’s Royal Hotel about 11 p.m. They demanded cash and fled after a brawl with the owners.
The 67-year-old husband, who asked that his name not be used, said when they came demanding money he gave the robbers about $100 in cash from his pocket but they insisted he turn over float money from the bar.
One grabbed more money and that’s when the owner grabbed a baseball bat he kept for defence and started swinging at the other man.
“We were fighting for about five minutes,” he said.
The knife-wielding man started waving his weapon, which ended up cutting his wife’s hands when she jumped in to help her husband.
“She tried to hold them. They were pretty young guys. I could not handle two guys myself.
“She tried helping me.”
He managed to pull off one of the men’s masks before he fled. He looked to be about 18 years old, he said.
His wife was taken to hospital by ambulance and treated for minor cuts. She is doing fine now and he also escaped without any serious injuries.
“My body’s OK,” he said.
The couple have owned the hotel for the past eight years. They have been married for 38 years.
He’s already put the incident behind him and is getting on with business.
“It’s old history,” he said.
Stettler RCMP Sgt. Duncan Babchuk said based on descriptions of the suspects — who are both short — it is believed they are connected to robberies at the Stettler Fas Gas on Sept. 30 and Oct. 11.
A knife was pulled out in those two robberies, but the latest incident saw a pistol and machete-style knife used. If they are the same culprits, they seem to be escalating their choice of weapons, “which makes it disturbing,” said Babchuk.
One suspect is described as 1.52 to 1.6 metres (five-foot to five-foot-three) and was wearing a white jacket, black mask, black gloves and carrying a large knife.
The second suspect is 1.6 to 1.68 metres (five-foot-three to five-foot six) and was wearing a grey hoodie, carrying a black bag, purple-striped hat, wearing a black mask and carrying a handgun.
Anyone with information is asked to call Stettler RCMP at 403-743-3382 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.tipsubmit.com.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com