Three males, including a 16-year-old boy, face a combined 75 charges in connection with nine retail robberies in Toronto, York Region, Durham Region, and Halton Region between Jan. 8-Feb. 12.
It’s alleged in each incident that several mask-wearing suspects, travelling in a stolen vehicle, entered the premises armed with hammers, smashed glass display cases, and removed high-end fragrances before fleeing.
Toronto Police said about $200,000 worth of fragrances were taken during these robberies.
On Wednesday, three search warrants were served and the three suspects were taken into custody. It’s further alleged officers recovered items of evidentiary value related to the investigation.
Zain Shahzad, 19, of Toronto, faces 18 charges, Adam Shin, 19, of Toronto, faces 25 charges, and a 16-year-old Toronto boy who can’t be named per the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces 32 charges.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-7350, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at 222tips.com.
FIVE CHARGED AFTER RETAIL ROBBERIES, CAR-THEFT PROBE
Five people ranging in age from 15 to 28 have been charged with a combined 30 charges in a double retail robbery and car-theft investigation.
Toronto Police said that on Tuesday at 8:41 p.m., it’s alleged four masked male suspects travelling in a stolen Honda Civic driven by a fifth masked male suspect went to a dispensary in the Wilson Ave.-Bathurst St. area.
It’s further alleged the four suspects banged on the dispensary’s locked front door but the employee saw one suspect holding a knife and refused entrance so they fled empty-handed in the awaiting Honda Civic.
Police said at 10:36 p.m., it’s further alleged the same four of five masked suspects travelling in the stolen Honda Civic entered a second dispensary in the Lawrence Ave. E.-Birchmount Rd. area.
It’s further alleged that one suspect armed with a knife and another with a mallet made demands for cash and cannabis, smashed several glass display cases, removed the contents, and took an employee’s wallet and cannabis products before fleeing.
Attending officers responded and a police vehicle collided with the fleeing stolen Honda Civic, causing the suspect vehicle to get stuck in a snowbank. The suspects fled on foot before they were taken into custody after a short foot pursuit.
At the time of the arrests, police said they recovered the stolen vehicle and a quantity of the stolen cannabis.
Javane Allen, 28, of Jamaica, was charged with six offences including fail to comply with release order, Makeel Christie, 25, of Toronto, was charged with eight offences including fail to comply with probation order, Engel Jaquez-Morel, 18, of Toronto, was charged with five offences, a male youth, 17, of Toronto, was charged with six offences including fail to comply with YCJA sentence order, and a male youth, 15, of Toronto, was charged with five offences.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-7350, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at 222tips.com.