Police have released video of a dramatic takedown of a group of teenagers wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
On Friday, York Regional Police said the vehicle used in the carjacking was linked to other armed carjackings in the Greater Toronto Area and investigators are releasing video surveillance images of the suspects in an effort to find others. who may be “linked to this criminal network.” .”
The attempted carjacking occurred around 2 a.m. April 6 in a parking lot in the area of Yonge Street and Glen Cameron Road.
York Regional Police said a woman was walking to her car when a suspect approached her and pushed her away, allowing a second suspect to enter her vehicle.
“The victim struggled with the suspect while her husband joined in to help,” police said in a news release issued earlier this week.
Police said the suspects attempted to flee in the victim’s vehicle, but crashed into another car in the parking lot.
In video surveillance footage of the incident, a suspect driving a Mercedes SUV is seen reversing into a parked car. When the Mercedes stops, a man, whom police identified as the victim’s husband, attempts to remove the suspect from the driver’s seat. After a brief struggle, the two suspects can be seen running toward a getaway car, a white Acura, parked nearby. The two suspects and the driver of the Acura leave the area, police said.
According to investigators, the getaway car used by the suspects is believed to have been stolen from Peel Region on April 1.
Police said they later located the Acura and the suspects in a parking lot on April 13. In security video captured at the scene, flashbang devices can be heard firing as officers in robbery gear and the emergency response unit crash two vans. a pickup truck and a pickup truck at the Acura, blocking the suspects’ access.
The occupants of the Acura are seen fleeing on foot as several officers chase the suspects through the parking lot.
The suspects, ages 15, 16 and 18, were taken into custody, investigators said, adding that a loaded handgun with an extended magazine was found during a search.
According to investigators, the Acura was also used in the theft of a BMW in Toronto on April 7. The suspects in that incident were charged by Toronto police on April 12 after crashing into Toronto police vehicles, police said.
“Investigators believe there may be other suspects linked to this criminal network and are asking anyone with information to come forward,” York Regional Police said in a news release. “The investigation is ongoing”.
Police are asking anyone with information about the carjackings to contact the York Regional Police Robbery Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6630. Anonymous tips can also be provided by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or visiting www.1800222tips.com.