Island District RCMP Cpl. Alex Berube said the suspects’ motive in the Saanich, BC, bank robbery was to shoot and kill police officers to take a stand against government regulations. .“While the suspects were not known to police, evidence at the scene indicated the suspects held strong anti-government, anti-police, and anti-authority views,” said Berube in a Friday statement. .“Personal annotations were recovered expressing their outrage at the restriction of their access to firearms and body armour.”.Two bank robbers died and six police officers were wounded after a robbery ended in a fusillade of bullets at a Saanich Bank of Montreal location in June. .READ MORE: WATCH: Six Saanich cops shot, two robbers dead after foiled bank heist.Videos showed Saanich police officers exchanging gunfire with the suspects inside the bank..Some of the wounded officers had serious injuries and were taken into surgery. .Vancouver Island police said in July the shooters were Duncan, BC, brothers Isaac and Matthew Auchterlonie. .READ MORE: Bank robbers in deadly heist were twin brothers from Duncan, BC."Investigators have spoken with their family and they are cooperating with our investigation,” said Vancouver Island police. .“We are looking into the suspects' backgrounds and can confirm that neither had criminal records or were known to police.” .The statement said the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit assumed control of the investigation into the robbery and attempted murder of police officers. It said the primary objective of the investigation was to determine if any other parties were involved in planning or executing the incident. .Despite previous speculations, there was no evidence found to suggest any third party was involved. The initial response and subsequent investigation included support from several police agencies, such as Saanich police, Victoria police, and multiple RCMP units. .The statement went on to say there were multiple people inside the bank who were employees and customers. It added video surveillance showed the Auchterlonies, clad in body armour, enter the bank at 11:02 a.m., prompting multiple calls to police. .They were inside the bank for a little over 16 minutes. Surveillance footage captured them on several occasions going back to the front area and looking outside before going back inside the bank. .It showed one suspect shooting his rifle inside the bank. Berube said the time spent in the bank and their actions made it clear “the objective of the robbery was not to obtain money, but rather to generate an armed confrontation with police.”.The statement continued by saying the Auchterlonies purchased and registered a white four-door 1992 Toyota Camry with two distinctive black racing stripes from the hood to the trunk a few days prior to the crime. It said police discovered more than 30 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the Camry’s trunk. .Four additional firearms and more than 3,500 rounds of ammunition were recovered. An analysis concluded the Auchterlonies held valid Possession and Acquisition Licences for non-restricted and restricted firearms..During the investigation, a surveillance video canvass was completed at hundreds of businesses and residences around the area of the shooting. In total, video was obtained from 52 different sources, including numerous locations around the bank. .The statement said a search was conducted at the residence where the suspects lived. It said multiple IEDs and materials to manufacture them were located. .Officers determined the explosives appeared homemade and were unsophisticated. The explosives recovered from the Camry matched the appearance of those found at the residence and appeared to be from the same source..Investigators believe the Auchterlonies’ initial plan was to have the shootout in mid-2023 at an unknown location, but they moved up the date due to them having to move out of the house where they lived. They concluded they could not move their arsenal of weapons to a new location without attracting attention, so they selected the bank location at random..Berube said evidence gathered from the scene of the shooting and the suspects’ residence concludes they were isolated from society and harbouring deep-seated resentment and anger towards authority. He said they had been “plotting an act of extreme violence since at least 2019 and were fully prepared for the consequences.”.The statement concluded by saying people inside the bank, while threatened and traumatized, were never the main targets. The robbery was used to generate a police response with the ultimate goal of inflicting damage. .“The action of the officers on that day saved countless lives,” said Berube.
