Two men charged after Regina bank robbery

Two men have been charged in connection with a bank robbery that occurred in Regina on Friday, a case that ultimately involved a police pursuit from the Queen City to Lumsden.

The Regina Police Service added Monday one of the men also is facing charges related to another armed robbery that occurred in late June in the city.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Friday, officers were called to a bank in the 1900 block of Hamilton Street. They were told a man had entered the bank with a gun, demanded money and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police got a description of the man’s getaway vehicle and, on Saturday at about 12:50 a.m., officers saw a vehicle that matched that description.

They used spike belts to deflate the vehicle’s tires, but it kept going down Rochdale Boulevard and eventually got to Highway 11. It continued on the highway until stopping in Lumsden, where two men were arrested.

Alex Todd Desjarlais, 36, is facing 14 charges, including armed robbery using a restricted firearm/prohibited firearm, use of a firearm during commission of an indictable offence, wearing a disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence and two counts of flight from a peace officer.

Brendan Hein, 32, was charged with armed robbery using a restricted firearm/prohibited firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and uttering threats.

Police also charged Desjarlais in connection with an armed robbery that occurred June 29 at a business in the 2000 block of Albert Street. In that instance, a man armed with a gun entered a business and demanded money from an employee and a customer before taking off.

Desjarlais faces seven charges from that robbery.

Both men appeared in court Monday.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Charges against Hein were withdrawn on Feb. 8, 2023, after it was reported he had died.