Watch Toronto-Area Police Go Full ‘Rainbow Six’ On Suspected Carjackers
FAFO.
The last time we heard from Toronto Police, they were embarrassing themselves with a disconcertingly laissez-faire attitude toward the city's car theft endemic, publicly telling people to "leave your [key] fobs at your front door" to minimize the risk of getting hurt in the event of a break-in. TPS's suburban neighbors to the slightly north evidently have a very different approach to the situation.
York Regional Police, the police service that patrols the Toronto-area region just north of the six municipalities of actual Toronto, released video of a wild takedown of suspected, armed carjackers involving flashbangs, officers in full tactical gear, and at least four police vehicles violently barricading the suspect vehicle.
We should preface: the following footage is intense.
According to a YRP press release, the first bit of footage shows three carjackers attempting to steal what appears to be a Mercedes GLC on April 6, but ultimately failing to do so after the Mercedes owner and her husband fought back. The thieves retreated and returned to a white Acura RDX getaway vehicle—a car that was also stolen about a week prior, per police.
The same Acura was used in the successful theft of a "blue BMW" in Toronto the next day but "The suspects involved in that carjacking were ultimately charged by the Toronto Police Service on April 12, 2024, after crashing into Toronto Police vehicles."
April 13 is when the footage above picks back up. The getaway RDX was located and YRP investigators, along with the Emergency Response Unit (read: SWAT), moved in for the arrest. "They utilized flashbangs, a distraction device that produces a flash of light and loud noises," reads the release. The three suspects start fleeing on foot and can be seen tossing what police allege to be a loaded firearm.
All three males—aged 18, 16, and 15—were charged with "numerous firearm and property offences," but police believe other suspects from the same "criminal network" are still at large and are asking the public to come forward with any information. The York Regional Police Hold-Up Unit can be reached at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6630. Alternatively, the Crime Stoppers number is 1-800-222-TIPS and anonymous tips can be left at www.1800222tips.com.
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