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Video: Windows smashed at three Red Deer businesses

Red Deer RCMP arrest man after vandalism spree

Eight windows and a door were shattered at Red Deer’s Phil’s Restaurant during a weekend vandalism spree.

General manager Beverly Johansen woke up to a phone call from the RCMP around 1:30 a.m. Sunday informing her of the destruction.

“It’s pretty disheartening to come in and see that,” said Johansen, adding she was at the restaurant until 5 a.m. cleaning up the shattered glass.

Eight windows and a glass back door were smashed at the restaurant on 49th Avenue.

Police arrested a male nearby without incident, RCMP said Monday. The investigation continues, and charges are pending against the 19 year old, who incurred minor cuts to his hands.

“It would’ve taken a lot of work to break these windows, they’re heavy duty double-paned windows,” said Johansen on Monday.

Two other businesses also had their glass smashed: Red Deer Eye Care Centre, which is across the street from Phil’s, and the nearby Shiso Restaurant.

RCMP believe the vandalism started at Shiso at about 12:30 a.m. and continued from there to the other businesses.

Koren Friestadt, Red Deer Eye Care Centre’s office manager, said five windows were shattered at the business Sunday morning.

“Nothing was taken, windows were just broken out. Obviously, there was lots to clean up from the broken glass,” said Friestadt.

It was unclear Monday how many windows or doors were shattered at Shiso.

All three businesses were open Monday morning.

“It’s disheartening, it’s frustrating, it’s hard for us,” said Johansen, referring to crime in Central Alberta.

In a similar incident Sunday, two men smashed through the doors and reversed a truck through the Eastview IGA in Red Deer in an unsuccessful attempt to steal an ATM. The two, wearing hoods, and with their faces covered, tried but failed to steal the ATM at the front of the store.



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Beverly Johansen, Phil’s Restaurants Ltd. general manager in Red Deer, says vandals destroyed eight of the restaurant windows and a door Sunday. Photo by Mamta Lulla/Advocate staff
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Shattered glass was visible outside Phil’s Restaurant in Red Deer Monday. Photo by Mamta Lulla/Advocate staff