On Saturday, Dec. 5 2015, a Kitchener convenience store clerk was robbed at gunpoint. According to the clerk, the robber walked into the store and demanded the clerk empty his cash register. Though an extremely frightening situation, the clerk and the only other shopper in the store were left unharmed.
According to a witness who was buying Cheetos at the time, the robber made no attempt to conceal his identity.
“He just walked into the store in a sweater and khakis and robbed the cash. Nobody knows who he was, and there were no witnesses in the parking lot.”
The entire event was caught on camera, which was located directly above the cashier and allegedly pointing directly at the robber’s face. According to the cashier, the camera happened to be zoomed in more than usual at the time, and also provided audio recording.
However, regardless of the apparent simplicity of the situation, police have revealed that they are having a hard time identifying the robber because they cannot access the store’s security footage.
“At the time of the robbery, Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” was playing on the convenience store’s speakers,” said Officer Marcus. “Due to copyright laws, we are having a nearly impossible time accessing the video.” Apparently this is not the first time that authorities have run into this problem. Last month a bank was robbed in Mississauga, and though it was also caught on camera, police could not access the footage because “Blank Space” was playing at the time. “Shake it Off” and “Blank Space” are both tracks off of Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album, 1989.
“That morning I was so excited because I had just bought Taylor Swift’s album, 1989, and wanted so badly to play it at work,” said a teller that was on-shift during the robbery. “I was so surprised when my manager gave me permission to finally take out her Women and Songs 3 that I didn’t hesitate.”
Police have requested permission to access both videos, however, Taylor Swift’s representatives have yet to respond to the urgent situation.