Youth armed with a machete.

On March 17, 2026, at approximately 12:30 p.m., a youth was confronted by another youth armed with a machete at the McDonald’s on Edmonton Trail, Airdrie. The victim was subsequently robbed of personal property. There were no injuries because of this armed robbery. This incident was not reported to police.  

On March 18, 2026, at approximately 12:40 p.m., the victim and a group of friends confronted the suspect at the same McDonald’s regarding the theft of property from the previous day. During the confrontation, the suspect pulled out a large machete from his waistband and started waving it around toward the group. A McDonald’s employee called 911 and the suspect fled toward the tri-school area. No one was injured during the incident.

Airdrie RCMP issued a temporary secure and hold order for three schools in that area, while officers searched for the suspect. The suspect was located in an ally near Centre Avenue and Virginia Street and after a brief chase, he was arrested without incident. RCMP also recovered the machete which the suspect had attempted to discard.

A 16-year-old male Airdrie youth has been charged with the following criminal offences:

• Robbery

• Assault with a weapon

• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose (x2)

• Carry concealed weapon (x2)

• Failure to comply with a sentence order under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (x4)

The youth was remanded into custody to appear at the Youth Criminal Court of Justice in Airdrie on March 20, 2026, at 930 a.m.