Photo: archive photo

Nelson police are searching for a suspect after a man, previously banned from a local business, returned to the store before stealing an item.

On Sunday, October 27, officers from the Nelson Police Service were called to a local restaurant where a man was attempting to leave the establishment without paying his bill.

Staff confronted the man before police arrived.

Nelson police said the man became evasive when asked to pay for his $70 meal, adding: “What is money really?”

When it became clear that the man had no intention of paying, police arrested him for eating fraudulently.

As a result, the man became combative and actively resisted for several minutes before officers were able to take him into custody and return him to the detachment.

“A search revealed several stolen items, which were able to be returned to their rightful owners,” Nelson police said in the news release. “He continued to fight with the officers while being placed in the holding cell and was held in detention overnight.”

Police said calls were reported about the same person within six hours of the initial call.

“CCTV footage shows the man entering a local business, from which he had previously been banned, hiding an item under his jacket and stealing it after staff members asked him to leave the premises,” police said of Nelson.

Nelson Police said officers are currently searching for this individual.