What started as an attempted theft of a chain around a man’s neck in central Regina ended with five people facing a combined 70 charges connected to illegal weapons and breaches of probation.

On Sunday, Aug. 10, at around 8:15 a.m., officers were called to area of 8th Avenue and Princess Street for a report of a robbery, according to a release from the Regina Police Service (RPS).

Officers arrived at the scene and met with the victim, an adult man. He told police he had been standing on the street when a vehicle drove by, circled the block and parked in front of him.

He alleged that a man got out of the vehicle, approached him and attempted to snatch the chain around his neck. The victim was able to back away from the suspect and call police.

Around 20 minutes later, officers found a vehicle that matched the description provided by the victim in a parking lot on the 900 block of Victoria Avenue East.

Officers approached the vehicle and arrested the driver and four passengers. A search of the vehicle turned up a loaded shotgun, a rifle, ammunition, seven knives, a hatchet, bear spray, drugs, items associated with drug trafficking and cash.

The five suspects face a combined 70 charges – mostly connected to robbery, possessing unauthorized firearms and breaching probation or release orders.

The accused include four men, aged 47, 25, 31 and 38 and a 20-year-old woman.