2 charged after child bound during gunpoint home invasion in Mississauga

Two GTA men are facing a host of charges, Peel police say, after allegedly forcing their way into a home at gunpoint and tying up a small child during a robbery in Mississauga last week.

It happened at a home in the area of Lakeshore Road and Lorne Park Road in the early afternoon of Nov. 18, investigators said in a news release Wednesday.

According to police, two men who were posing as local service workers knocked on the front door and the child answered. 

"Following a short interaction, the suspects, armed with firearms, forced their way into the home and made demands for valuables," the news release reads.

The child and an employee working in the home were then bound and confined for the duration of the robbery until a neighbour interrupted, police say. The two men then ran for a vehicle driven by a third person and took off.

"Fortunately, the victim only sustained minor physical injuries as a result of the robbery," the news release reads.

Police say they quickly identified two of the men, and on Nov. 21, officers found one of them at a federal parole facility in Toronto. A 29-year-old man was then charged with robbery with a firearm, wearing a disguise with intent, two counts of possession of opioids and three counts of possessing a firearm contrary to a court order.

At the time of his arrest, the man was living at the facility on statutory release while serving the remainder of a four-year sentence following convictions for firearm and robbery-related charges. He was also under three separate weapons prohibition orders at the time, police say.

A second suspect, a 27-year-old man, was then arrested a short time later. Police say he was charged with robbery with a firearm, three counts of failing to comply with release orders, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime and possession for the purpose of trafficking. 

The man was bound by a release order at the time of his arrest, investigators say, in relation to several drug and firearms charges. He was wearing a court-ordered GPS monitor at the time of the robbery as part of his conditions, police say.

Both men have since appeared in court in Brampton, and were held pending bail hearings.

"Once again, our investigators have arrested two offenders for their alleged involvement in violent crime," Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said in a statement. "Both accused were on judicial interim releases for robbery and firearm offences, showing a complete disregard for their court-appointed conditions or our community."

Investigators say they anticipate more charges could be laid in connection with the case. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Peel police or Crime Stoppers.