False Alarms Lead Police to Suspect Carrying Stolen Defibrillator in Downtown Guelph

What began as a routine patrol quickly turned into a disruptive morning at Old Quebec Street, as officers responded to two false alarms only minutes apart. Their review of security footage pointed them toward a suspect already moving through the mall. 

Two false fire alarms at a downtown business Monday led to a Guelph woman’s arrest.

Just before 9 a.m. officers were patrolling inside the Old Quebec Street mall when a fire alarm was activated. Officers and mall security located an alarm station which had been activated in a stairwell. Police viewed security video and observed a woman in the immediate area just before the alarm sounded.

While officers were watching the video, a second alarm sounded in another area of the mall. A woman matching the suspect on video was located in the area of the second activation and was arrested.

During a search officers located a defibrillator which mall security confirmed was stolen. A 37-year-old Guelph woman is charged with making a false fire alarm, theft under $5,000, possessing stolen property under $5,000 and two counts of breaching a probation order. She was held for a bail hearing Tuesday.