‘Police immediately engaged with the suspect and took him into custody’
A late-night convenience store employee in Saint John, N.B., was sent to hospital after an armed man assaulted them early on Sept. 22, adding to concerns about rising violence against front-line retail workers and the obligations of New Brunswick employers.
The Saint John Police Force said officers responded at about 1 a.m. to a store on Fairville Boulevard for a report of "a male armed with a weapon." They found a 50-year-old man assaulting the employee.
"Police immediately engaged with the suspect and took him into custody," the force said. The employee was treated in hospital and has since been released.
Charges laid, bystander stepped in
In a Sept. 23 update, the force said the accused faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful confinement, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, resisting arrest and two counts of assaulting a peace officer.
He was remanded into custody pending a Sept. 24 bail hearing, whose outcome was unavailable at the time of writing. None of the charges has been proven in court.
Police said a member of the public intervened before officers arrived. "A bystander had put themselves at risk to assist the employee prior to police arriving," the force said.
Employer obligations
Since New Brunswick's workplace harassment and violence legislation took effect on April 1, 2019, General Regulation 91-191 has required every employer to assess the risk of violence in consultation with its joint health and safety committee, representative or employees, according to WorkSafeNB.
Employers with 20 or more employees must have a written code of practice for violence, as must smaller employers whose risk is moderate or high or whose staff hold high-risk positions (Cox & Palmer, 2019). The province has seen fatal outcomes before: a Casino New Brunswick employee died from injuries sustained in a workplace assault.
The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says stores open between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., or with readily available cash, face a higher risk of violent incidents.
