Charges laid in restaurant theft, additional suspect sought

A man has been charged in relation to a break in at a local restaurant in August, and investigators continue to search for another suspect believed to be responsible for multiple thefts of patio furniture from the same restaurant.

On Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, at approximately 2 a.m., an unknown man broke the glass of the main door of Simply Irie restaurant located at 1510 6 Street S.W. Once inside, the suspect located and removed the point of sale cash register before exiting the restaurant and fleeing on a bicycle.

A media release was issued with CCTV of a suspect and thanks to a number of tips from the public, he was identified. We wish to thank the public and the media for assisting us in providing some answers for the business owner who has dealt with at least three occurrences of theft this year. We believe more than one suspect is responsible for the thefts.

Aaron Robert VARALTA, 46, is charged with break and enter in relation to the Aug. 6 incident. He will next appear in court on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021.

Although we do not believe the Aug. 6 incident is hate-motivated, the Simply Irie restaurant has been the target of numerous other thefts of patio furniture and damage to their property since July. The motive as to why this establishment has been targeted is not yet known, but the pattern is concerning. A media release was issued on July 27, 2021, with CCTV photos of a suspect, who is yet to be identified.

Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect from the July occurrences is asked to call us at 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org

APP: “P3 Tips”

Case #: CA21808876/CA21305447