Almost all of Yellowknife has been evacuated, but police are still busy keeping things safe.
Yellowknife RCMP responded to multiple calls overnight, one of which involved an alleged home invasion involving a 77-year-old man. According to a release on Saturday morning, a 34-year-old male and 30-year-old female reportedly forced their way into the victim’s apartment on Friday evening armed with a baseball bat, allegedly stealing an unknown amount of cash and a cell phone.
The address where the incident took place wasn’t included in the release.
Police were able to use the apartment complex’s surveillance footage to identify the suspects and they were located and arrested a short time later. Charges are pending and both were set to be released on Saturday with conditions to not be in Yellowknife while the evacuation order is ongoing.
Another major incident involved a traffic stop early Saturday morning on Franklin Avenue just after 5 a.m. Police conducted a traffic stop and allegedly located two grams of crack cocaine during their search of the interior. While the road side investigation was ongoing, the male suspect reportedly attempted to grab a large hunting knife that was concealed in the car.
The male, 40, and a 41-year-old female who was also in the car were taken into custody without incident and they, too, were to be released on Saturday with the condition that they not be in Yellowknife during the evacuation. Charges of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking are also pending.
The difference with the latter two suspects is that they were to be transported to an evacuation departure location upon their release.
Police also answered six calls of suspicious people in neighbourhoods, two calls of break-and-enter and one false alarm complaint.
Cpl. Matt Halstead, media relations officer with NT RCMP, stated the calls came in from essential workers who have remained in Yellowknife and were investigated as soon as they came in.
None of them were deemed to have been break-and-enters of any sort, he said, including those coming from evacuees who have been notified courtesy of doorbell cameras about suspicious activity around their home.