Police arrest man allegedly involved in Lake Albert FoodWorks armed robbery

On December 9, 2019, two men entered Lake Albert FoodWorks about 6am, where one of the men allegedly used a shotgun to threaten staff before stealing cigarettes and cash.

Two men fled the scene in a white Jeep Cherokee believed to be stolen, and police engaged in a pursuit for a short period of time but did not catch the men.

The car was later found abandoned in Adams Street, Ashmont.

Officers from Riverina Police District attended and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, and following extensive inquiries by detectives, a warrant was issued for the arrest of a 28-year-old man.

On Monday, December 16 2020, a 28-year-old man was arrested in Victoria for unrelated matters.

When those matters are finalised, NSW detectives are expected to apply for extradition and the man will be charged with robbery while armed with dangerous weapon.

Wagga Police Inspector Adrian Telfer said officers were hoping to speak to the man to get more information on the string of robberies across Wagga around the time of the Lake Albert FoodWorks incident.

"It is a very serious matter that he will be charged with, and the people involved were fairly traumatised," he said.

"The last three months involved a fair bit of homework reviewing a lot of footage, speaking to a lot of people, and using some fairly advanced technology to identify this person so we will be able to put a lot of work to the court."

Inspector Telfer said police would apply to extradite the man as soon as possible.

The second man is yet to be located by police. He was wearing a dark hooded jumper, dark coloured cap with a faded circle on the peak, khaki pants and black gloves at the time of the alleged incident.

Inspector Telfer said inquiries were continuing to locate the man, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

"Just because we have made one arrest, does not mean we stop looking for the others involved," he said.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.