Six men and two male youths from the Greater Toronto Area face more than 50 charges in connection with a series of smash-and-grab robberies this year.
And police say four of the accused were out on forms of release at the time of their arrests.
Halton Regional Police said Friday that their investigation, titled Project Pinnacle, identified an organized group in robberies that took place between January and March.
Cops said the robberies typically involved four to five robbers using stolen vehicles with cloned licence plates. The suspects wore masks and balaclavas and used hammers to smash display cases before quickly fleeing with stolen jewelry.
While no injuries were ever reported, in one case a stolen vehicle was driven into a Buy & Sell store, causing significant structural damage to the building.
“This organized group has been targeting communities across the GTA for weeks,” Chief Stephen Tanner said in a statement. “Residents, shoppers, and business owners deserve to feel safe in our malls and stores.”
He said the accused “act in complete disregard for the rule of law,” and added the investigation “goes a long way toward restoring” a sense of safety.”
Investigators executed six search warrants at residences in Toronto and Mississauga and said some of the stolen jewelry had been recovered.
Accused young, on various forms of release
Supt. Dave Costantini said it was deeply concerning and unacceptable that several of the offenders are young and were already before the courts, on various forms of release, at the time of these offences.”
This investigation remains ongoing, and police anticipate further arrests and charges in connection with additional robberies.
Investigators believe the accused are responsible for additional offences and photos of five of the six men charged have been released.
Who is charged and what they face
Krishawn Scott, 21, of Mississauga, has been charged with nine counts of robbery and disguise with intent and one count of breach of release order.
Joshua Akhigbe, 18, of Toronto, has been charged with three counts of robbery and disguise with intent, and one count of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
Romario Angelo Abraham, 19, of Mississauga, has been charged with four counts of robbery and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, and one count each of disguise with intent, mischief over $5,000, dangerous operation, and failure to stop after accident.
Cassie Miller, 19, of Mississauga, has been charged with two counts of fail to comply with release order and one count of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Adam Buttigieg, 21, of Mississauga, has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and robbery.
Coulton Peters-McComb. 22, of Barrie, has been charged with disguise with intent and robbery.
One male youth from Toronto has been charged with five counts of robbery and four counts of disguise with intent while another male Toronto youth has been charged with robbery and disguise with Intent
Which businesses were targeted
The charges were laid charges in connection with the following robberies:
Jan. 25, Michael Hill in Burlington.
Jan. 29, Buy & Sell in Burlington.
Feb. 4, Barry’s Jewellers in Burlington.
Feb. 17, Charm Diamonds in Guelph.
Feb. 23, Charm Diamonds in Brantford.
March 2, Charm Diamonds in Waterloo.
March 3, Barry’s Jewellers in Burlington.
March 6, Karat Jewellers in St. Catharines and Michael Hill in Burlington.
March 16, Michael Hill in Burlington and HW Williams in Hamilton.
March 17, Michael Hill in Barrie.
‘Coordinated criminal activity’
“This marks the first major crackdown on smash-and-grab robberies,” Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie noted.
“We’ve disrupted an organized group responsible for targeting businesses across the GTA, and these arrests send a clear message: This type of coordinated criminal activity will not be tolerated. If you choose to engage in these crimes, expect to be identified, arrested, and charged.”
Costantini expressed relief that no injuries had occurred in any of the crimes.
“When we consider the shootings and other tragic events that have occurred in surrounding jurisdictions as a result of violence in large shopping malls, we are extremely fortunate that these robberies did not result in serious injury or loss of life,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 905-825-4777 ext. 2316 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
jstevenson@postmedia.com
