Two of the three men wanted in connection with a bank robbery in Lac La Biche in late November have been arrested by police in two separate takedowns.
Neil George Gladue and Tyler Bruce Clark were taken into custody by Edmonton City Police in two separate arrests in Edmonton on Dec. 23. Police say Gladue, 30, was arrested in an Edmonton hotel and Clark, 26, was taken from an Edmonton residence. Both men will be in Lac La Biche Provincial Court on Jan. 10 facing numerous charges in connection with the November 30 armed hold-up at the ATB bank in Lac La Biche.
The midday robbery saw two masked men enter the bank, one brandishing a machete, the other with a shotgun. The men demanded money from the tellers, ordering bank customers to the ground. The men left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash moments before police arrived at the scene in response to a 911 call. Police believe the men escaped in a stolen pickup truck which was later found abandoned in a nearby apartment building’s parking lot.
A third suspect, Franklin, William Gladue, is still on the run from police. Gladue, 30, is described as Aboriginal, six-feet tall, 240 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Police say he has a number of tattoos including a picture of a clown on his upper left arm, the word ‘Eternal’ on his right arm and the words ‘Solid Brother’ and “F.G’ on his left stomach.
Gladue is also wanted in connection with a similar bank robbery in Bonnyville on Dec. 14, where two masked men entered the TD Bank on Main Street just before closing. The men escaped with an unspecified amount of cash.
A bank hold-up that occurred in Wildwood the week before the Bonnyville heist has not been directly linked to any of the suspects at this time, says RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Tim Taniguchi.
“Connected? Not at this time,” he said. “Wildwood is still an active investigation.”
Gladue is facing numerous charges including robbery with a firearm, possession of stolen property, assault with a weapon, using a firearm to commit an offence, wearing a disguise to commit an offence, pointing a firearm, and possession of a weapon.
Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Gladue, but caution that the Edmonton man is considered to be armed and dangerous.
