Staff at Lethbridge automotive shop beaten while on the job

“That takes it to a next level, that kind of escalates our concerns about that. It’s not only costing me as a businessman in a lot of ways… but now my staff is at risk of you, know, being assaulted and injured? I don’t think that any employer is comfortable with that. I think we feel kind of helpless to kind of control that, too.”

Switzer says one of the employees was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital where he had a CAT scan done to make sure he didn’t suffer either a concussion or other brain injury. The second employee was checked out by a doctor and suffered a badly swollen face. Both men are in their sixties.

While Switzer says this is the first time something like this has happened at his business, the number of vandalisms, break-ins and property damage occurring not just at his establishment, but at others along the area near Stafford Drive North, between 5 Ave. North and 1 Ave North has gotten completely out of hand.

“We don’t leave customers’ cars outside anymore. Last Tuesday, we had two customer’s cars that were dropped off early that had their windows smashed. So that was a direct cost to the business of about $1,000 to fix those two vehicles.”

Lethbridge Police were called to the scene Wednesday morning, and the incident was reported to them. Acting Duty Sergeant Jason Carrier confirmed to Lethbridge News NOW 23-year-old Rylan Vaile of no fixed address was arrested the same evening. He has been charged with assault causing bodily harm, assault, and breach of an undertaking.

Switzer believes there were two transitional times in recent memory that affected not only his business, but many others surrounding Lethbridge’s downtown.

“First one was the opening of the Shelter under Mayor Bob Tarleck’s reign. Initially we didn’t really see much impact from that, but as time went on…and people came from other cities to Lethbridge, we started to see some more evidence – we’d get nighttime vandalism and things like that around the property. That triggered all of the security cameras you see around the building.

“The second trigger that I think has changed the environment of our neighborhood, is the opening of the safe injection site (supervised consumption site)…and so with that, there’s obviously a lot of people affected by drug addiction… so a lot more risk of vandalism and damage to our building and things building stolen.”

A bartender at the nearby Beaches Pub and Grill echoes those sentiments. Candra, who has worked there for the last two years says vehicles left at the business overnight are getting broken into regularly. Her own truck window was smashed for the second time, the day Lethbridge News NOW spoke with her.

“The cost was $225 for replacement. And this is the second time my vehicle has been targeted here. We’ve had six in the last year, for sure. It’s really frustrating. You know, you do the right thing, you take a cab home and you get to work to pick up your vehicle and it’s a cost, an inconvenience. I didn’t have anything in my vehicle. There was nothing even visible in my vehicle to be taken.”

Remnants of Candra’s smashed window near Beaches Pub

Beaches owner Colin Riehl also called LNN to describe how he has had to reinforce his windows, and front door with aluminum after several attempted break-ins with tools and even with items like rocks. He too, said he was tired of his establishment being vandalized.

Switzer acknowledges there’s no quick fix and applauds the efforts of initiatives like the Ambassador Watch Program. But he does have some reservations.

“They look great in their nice red uniforms. Kudos to them for taking on that job. I think that knowing what I know, they’re potentially vulnerable. Because if that guy (suspect) can hurt two big grown men that quick, what could he do to a slight, young woman? So great if they can observe and report and stay out of the danger zone.”

Last year, Lethbridge City Council gave police chief Rob Davis the task of coming up with some ideas to try and mitigate the number of vandalisms, nuisance, property damage and other kinds of calls that are occurring in and around the downtown area. He responded with the Ambassador Watch Program and the Community Peace Officer Program to bolster law enforcement presence.

According to Lethbridge Police statistics presented at the last Police Commission Hearing April 24, 2019, the highest volume of calls for service in the month of March, was in the downtown area and areas immediately surrounding it, with 473 calls for theft, suspicious persons, disturbances, wanted persons, and trespassing. In February, there were 386 calls for service in the same area as well.

The west side came in second with 202 calls in March, there were 190 calls for service on the north side, and 163 calls on the south side of Lethbridge.

Switzer says while he’s not worried about losing business at this point, he ultimately wants his staff to feel safe at work, and for his customers to know that their vehicles won’t be damaged when they’re dropped off.

“That’s not the Lethbridge that I, as a Lethbridge businessman, or as a resident… I’m not used to that kind of stuff. And I think it’s an extreme escalation.”

by Lara Fominoff and Brandyn Montgomery

Staff at Lethbridge automotive shop beaten while on the job

What's Happening