SURREY, B.C. – A 28-year-old man arrested after a series of smash-and-grab robberies at Surrey electronics stores faces 23 charges in total, Surrey Police Service (SPS) says, following an extensive Prolific Offender Unit investigation into thefts that allegedly turned violent against store staff and cost retailers about $100,000 in stolen goods and damaged property.
An earlier Apna News report counted 17 charges. That figure was the batch approved by the BC Prosecution Service. With the six firearms charges sworn after the arrest included, the full total is 23.
🔍 What police say happened
According to SPS, the alleged series ran from June to October 2026 and targeted various electronics retailers across Surrey. Police allege display cabinets were damaged, employees were assaulted, and thousands of dollars in goods were stolen.
The SPS Prolific Offender Unit launched its investigation in September 2026, partway through the alleged series. The Prolific Offender Unit is the SPS team assigned to repeat offenders, the small group of suspects police believe are responsible for a disproportionate share of crime in the city. Its work on this file led the BC Prosecution Service to approve 17 charges against Austin Thomas Romeo Hogan.
Hogan was arrested by SPS Frontline officers on October 5, 2026. Police allege a loaded firearm was found in his possession at the time of the arrest, and firearms charges were also sworn. Hogan is currently remanded in custody awaiting a bail hearing, SPS says.
⚖️ The 17 charges approved by the BC Prosecution Service
The Criminal Code charges related to the alleged robberies are:
- 7 counts of robbery
- 4 counts of theft over $5,000
- 1 count of theft under $5,000
- 2 counts of assault with a weapon
- 3 counts of mischief
Together, those counts describe what investigators allege happened inside the stores: merchandise grabbed, cabinets damaged, and staff confronted in the process.
The six firearms charges
The charges related to the firearm police allege was found when Hogan was arrested on October 5 are:
- 1 count of possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm without a licence
- 1 count of possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized
- 1 count of unauthorized possession of a firearm
- 1 count of carrying a concealed weapon
- 1 count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- 1 count of possession of a firearm while prohibited
The last count, possession while prohibited, indicates police allege Hogan was already under a court order barring him from having firearms at the time of the arrest.
🏪 What this cost Surrey retailers
SPS estimates the cost in stolen goods and damaged property to the Surrey retailers at approximately $100,000. For the stores involved, the losses are only part of the impact. Smash-and-grab robberies put front-line retail workers in direct danger, and police allege employees were assaulted during this series. Electronics retailers in Surrey’s town centres, from Newton and Guildford to Fleetwood and Cloverdale, employ many local residents, including students and newcomers in their first jobs, and a string of violent thefts affects staffing, insurance costs and store hours across the city.
The case also lands in the middle of a wider Surrey conversation about repeat offenders and retail theft, which business groups in the city have raised repeatedly. Police created the Prolific Offender Unit approach precisely for files like this one, where investigators believe one person is behind a long run of similar offences.
📞 Police are still asking for information
The Prolific Offender Unit investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about Austin Hogan and these incidents is asked to contact the SPS non-emergency line at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 26-100695 (SP).
Hogan has been charged, not convicted. The allegations against him have not been tested in court, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. His next step in the process is a bail hearing, where a court will decide the conditions under which he waits for trial.
This article updates and completes an earlier Apna News report that counted 17 charges. The full count, including the six firearms charges, is 23.
Sources: Surrey Police Service news release, “SPS Prolific Offender Unit Arrests Smash and Grab Robbery Suspect,” File 26-100695 (SP), October 19, 2026, surreypolice.ca, checked October 21, 2026.
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