Two men violently robbed an elderly person in Fort Providence on the morning of June 22.
Fort Providence RCMP says the Elder was seriously injured and was transported to Yellowknife for treatment, in a Wednesday news release.
Police arrested the two suspects with the assistance of Forensic Identification Services, the Major Crimes Unit and community members.
The unnamed 23-year-old and 24-year-old have each been charged with several offences, including aggravated assault, robbery and assault with a weapon. The 24-year-old faces two charges for failure to comply with the release order.
The RCMP changed the policy of naming people who have been charged with criminal offences in December 2023. Under the new policy, people will be named under the following circumstances:
- When people are charged with drug trafficking and related offences.
- When people are charged in connection with organized crime and any violent offences that stem from this activity, particularly when there are weapons involved.
- Acts of violence pose potential risks to the public.
“Our threshold for naming suspects in a public release wasn’t met in this instance,” RCMP Media Relations Officer Josh Seaward writes in an email response.
Seaward says the two parties are known to each other, and this incident is not a random act.
Both men are expected to appear in court at a later date.
