Solid chocolate bunny used as weapon in assault on Brandon store clerk

It may be April 1, but police in Brandon say it's no joke that a 27-year-old man is accused of stealing from a business and assaulting an employee with a solid chocolate bunny.

Officers were called Thursday afternoon after a man stole merchandise at a business on Victoria Avenue, near 34th Street, in the southwestern Manitoba city, a Friday news release from the Brandon Police Service said.

An employee who confronted the shoplifter was hit with a Mr. Solid brand chocolate bunny, police say.

The employee suffered minor injuries.

The accused shoplifter ran away but was found and arrested nearby, while still in possession of stolen merchandise, according to police. It was returned to the store.

The man was released from custody and will appear in court on charges of assault and theft under $5,000.

"This is NOT an April Fool's Day joke," police said in their news release.

Sgt. Kirby Sararas, a public information officer with the Brandon Police Service, says she's never heard of a chocolate bunny being used as a weapon.

"The weapon that the 27-year-old male suspect used was less than typical from what employees would normally see or be assaulted with. But it doesn't change the fact that this employee was still injured as a result of just trying to do their job," she told CBC.

"I know oftentimes the people will use whatever is in their hand to commit assaults, but quite often it's something more typical than a piece of food." 

She says retail theft is something that happens every day, and employees are often met with violence.

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