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Man arrested two hours after allegedly robbing bank on Vancouver Island

CIBC bank in downtown Nanaimo robbed Saturday; 41-year-old arrested
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Nanaimo RCMP investigate at CIBC at Port Place mall on Saturday after the bank was robbed. GREG SAKAKI/The News Bulletin

A man was arrested and charged hours after a bank robbery in Nanaimo.

According to police, the robbery happened Saturday at about 2:30 p.m. at the CIBC branch, located in Port Place shopping centre, when officers rushed to a 911 hold-up alarm.

Bank staff told police a lone man entered the bank and then produced a note indicating he had a gun. A teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash over and the man left. No weapon was seen or produced and no employees were injured during the robbery.

Bank surveillance footage showed the man arriving and then departing in a taxi. Within two hours, investigators were able to track the suspect to a residence on Wesley Street, where he was arrested without incident and the majority of the stolen money was recovered.

David Scott McAree, 41, of no fixed address has been held in custody and charged with one count of robbery. His next court appearance in provincial court in Nanaimo is set for Jan. 15.