Caught on video: Nanaimo teenager hits would-be armed robber with baseball bat
A teenager in Nanaimo, B.C., is being hailed as a hero by his family after a would-be robber entered their business and the boy scared him off with a baseball bat.
Fourteen-year-old Jake Currie was working Wednesday at his family’s business, Abbies Corner Store at 531 Second St.
Surveillance video shows a suspect entering the store around 8:47 p.m. wearing a ski mask and holding a knife. The suspect demanded money from Currie.
The corner store is also where Currie’s family lives, and his stepsister and her four-month-old baby were in the room next door.
Knowing this, Currie calmly pulled out a baseball bat from behind the counter and swung at the suspect.
“I hit him with the bat; he lost his knife and backed up a bit,” Currie says.
The robber then asked why Currie hit him with the bat.
“I was like, 'What do you expect? You had a knife to me,'” he added.
Before leaving, the suspect tried looking for the knife and asked for it back. He then left the store without the knife and took off down the street.
The whole ordeal lasted less than a minute.
Abbies Corner Store opened five months ago and this is the first time someone has tried to rob it.
Currie’s stepdad Marcel Trudeau thinks the boy went above and beyond to protect the store and his family.
“I’d never expected him to hit somebody with a baseball bat,” says Trudeau. “But I think it was because my daughter and her baby are here.”
Nanaimo RCMP responded and took the knife as evidence. They told the family they believe the suspect is the same person who robbed a locally run grocery store with a knife last week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978649.1722015109!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former U.S. president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.