TRIO 'DRIVEN BY CRACK, COCAINE' ARRESTED IN BANK ROBBERY BINGE

Three "aggressive" men held up four Ottawa South banks in nine days to fuel
their cocaine habits, police say.

The men appeared high and agitated as they stormed into banks, jumped onto
counters and yelled at employees and customers, said Ottawa police Staff
Sgt. Randy Wisker. In most of the robberies, at least one of the men
carried a semi-automatic pistol, he said.

Police arrested three men Friday outside a Riverside Drive high rise, just
moments after a holdup at the nearby Scotia bank at Bank Street and Alta
Vista Drive.

Police say they feared what might have happened if any of the three were
confronted during a robbery.

"These are three pretty aggressive individuals," Staff Sgt. Wisker said.
"It wasn't as if someone was coming in and handing a teller a note which
read 'hand over the money' or something like that.

"These people were driven by crack and cocaine and they were on quite a spree."

On Sept. 15, police allege, the suspects hit the Scotia bank at McCarthy
Road Plaza, where surveillance cameras caught two of the robbers wearing
disguises. Two days later, they are alleged to have struck at the Caisse
populaire on Arch Street. On Sept. 21, the TD Canada Trust in Blackburn
Hamlet was hit.

After the last robbery, police followed the suspects to a nearby apartment
complex.

Brent Bellaire, 36, Johnnie Armstrong, 28, and Kevin Rice, 33, were
arrested and face numerous charges in connection with the crimes. Police
say a loaded handgun was found during the arrests.

The men were held in custody over the weekend pending a court appearance
scheduled for today.