3 teen boys charged after Toronto carjacking, police release helicopter video of arrests
Police allege 1 teen held knife against person in vehicle to demand keys
Three teen boys who were chased by police on foot and in a helicopter have been arrested and charged in a carjacking in Toronto on the weekend.
Toronto police have released helicopter footage of the arrests of the Toronto youths — two 16-year-olds and one 17-year-old — after the carjacking on Saturday evening.
Police said the vehicle was stolen from the area of Victoria Park Avenue and Sheppard Avenue E. in North York and stopped in the area of Neilson and Ellesmere roads in Scarborough. No one was injured in the incident.
York Regional Police's helicopter helped Toronto police track the teens as they made their way through a residential area after fleeing from the stopped stolen vehicle.
"I want to commend our members for making another outstanding carjacking arrest, reinforcing our commitment to tackling this ongoing issue and keeping our city safe," Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said in a news release on Wednesday.
In the release, Toronto police said the incident began when they responded to a robbery call around 8:36 p.m. on Saturday in the area.
Police allege a person was seated in a vehicle when a teen boy got into the car through a rear door. The teen produced a knife, held it against the person's throat and demanded the keys. The person handed over the keys before getting out of the vehicle, according to police.
"The suspect then fled the scene, driving away in the victim's vehicle," police said.
Police said officers quickly found the stolen vehicle and saw several people getting into it before it was driven away.
Police said the officers tracked the vehicle, with the help of Toronto police dispatchers, until it stopped in Scarborough.
According to police, officers tried to block the vehicle, but it drove over a snowbank and allegedly hit two police vehicles before stopping.
"Officers were able to take the three occupants into custody after a brief struggle and short foot pursuit," police said in the release.
None of the teen boys can be named under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
All three were scheduled to appear in bail court on March 9.