Video captures struggle between store employees and robber with loaded gun on Queen Street West

A dramatic struggle between an armed robber and store employees was caught on camera after several suspects entered a Queen Street West clothing shop Sunday and began to ransack the place.

The robbery occurred at a store on Queen Street West, near John Street, in broad daylight on June 23 as throngs of shoppers were out in the Entertainment District.

According to police, three male suspects arrived at Backstore Toronto, the clothing shop, in a stolen vehicle and entered in masks shortly after 6 p.m.

“One suspect produced a handgun and demanded that employees lie on the ground,” police previously said in a news release. “The suspects took a quantity of clothing and began to exit the store.”

Two of the suspects fled the area in the stolen vehicle, however the employees began to struggle with the remaining robber.

Video obtained by CP24 shows two of the suspects desperately grabbing at merchandise as a third pushes a gun at the employees and yells at them to get on the ground.

One of the employees then starts chasing them down as two of the robbers flee with merchandise. The employee manages to catch one of the robbers, still holding a gun, at the door and gets him in a headlock.

A second employee then comes running to help and the two manage to subdue him, holding him in the store until police arrive.

Speaking with CP24 Wednesday, the employees said they didn’t realize the gun was real, no less loaded, when they went to tackle one of the robbers. CP24 is not using the full names of the employees due to safety concerns that they expressed.

“I thought the gun was fake. I didn’t really think anyone’s gonna come here and try to take anything, risk their lives over some clothes and shoes so I just decided to grab them and yeah, thankfully everything happened in our favour and no one got injured,” one of the employees who gave his name as Brae told CP24.

He said it’s incredible that someone would take such a risk to get some new clothes, but added that retail thefts are becoming more common.

“I just think it’s crazy,” he said. “I’m not surprised at the end of the day because I know a lot of stores and retail stores and getting hit up.”

His colleague, who just wanted to be identified as AB, said the store’s security system was up-to-date because they know retail thefts have been increasing.

Still, he was surprised to learn the gun was real.

“The whole time our mindset was thinking it’s a fake gun,” he said. “We didn’t know how old the person was. At the end of the day it was just the adrenaline pumping through us, like fight or flight.”

Police said a 15-year-old boy from Toronto was taken into custody and is now facing a list of charges, including robbery with a firearm and failing to comply with a release order.

He cannot be named under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Police said they recovered a loaded handgun at the scene at the time of the arrest.

Descriptions have not been released for the outstanding suspects.