Durham Police yesterday said three males are in police custody for two violent carjackings that occurred in the Durham Region.
On September 29 at about 12 am, two male suspects were in the area of Audley Road and Rossland Road East in Ajax when they approached the occupants of a vehicle and forcefully removed them. The suspects assaulted the victims and then fled the area in the vehicle, said a police statement.
Later the same day, at approximately 8:30 pm, three suspects were in the area of Oklahoma Drive and Whites Road South in Pickering where they were observed exiting a vehicle and forcefully removing the driver of a grey Toyota Rav-4, who was working as a food delivery driver. The victim was assaulted before the suspects fled the area in his vehicle.
On October 1, members of the Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force, including the Ontario Provincial Police, Peel Regional Police, York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police, and Durham Regional Police Service, conducted a takedown of the stolen Toyota Rav-4.
Three suspects fled on foot from the vehicle and a fourth was arrested in the front passenger seat. Two of the suspects who fled were arrested a short distance away. The fourth suspect is outstanding.
The three suspects arrested, aged 15-, 17- and 18-years from Toronto and Markham, were charged and held for a bail hearing. Name and further details available at www.drps.ca.
Joint Task Force
As a result of the rising incidents of violence related to auto crimes across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), local police services have combined resources and established a Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF) to further co-ordinate law enforcement efforts in combating these crimes.
This collaborative approach aims to disrupt the networks responsible for violent and high-risk auto thefts and maximize enforcement efforts against criminal organizations.
Co-led by the Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police, the task force is a collaboration between police services from across the GTA, including York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service, Peel Regional Police, and other external agencies, including Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario.
Click here for more information about the PCJTF.
Anyone with new information about this investigation is asked to contact D/Cst. Aukema of the DRPS Major Crime Robbery Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5362.
Editor’s Note: Durham Post does not name the accused as:
1. Of this time, they are suspects and not convicted,
2. Sometimes charges are dropped or amended, and
3. Charges are not proven in court.
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