Three men have been charged and two suspects remain at large after more than $1 million worth of stolen construction equipment was seized from a store in Toronto last month.
According to York Regional Police (YRP), an investigation was launched in May in response to increased reports of commercial break-and-enters targeting warehouses and high-end construction wholesalers in the area.
Over a month later, on July 31, officers responded to a break-and-enter in progress at a business on Confederation Parkway near Scholar Road in Vaughan. When officers arrived, they found the front doors had been ripped off the building and that the suspects had fled.
Surveillance footage from the business, released by police on Tuesday, shows a black Honda Ridgeline truck reversing into a parking lot, after which three individuals can be seen attaching what appears to be a cable between the truck’s trailer hinge and an entranceway. The truck accelerates forward, pulling a metal gate off the building.
Video released by York Regional Police shows a truck pulling a gateway off a business in Mississauga. (YRP)
The suspects can then be seen carrying items from inside the store and loading them into the truck’s bed before driving away. Two individuals appear to enter a white Dodge Durango, which follows the truck off the premises.
Police are searching for a newer model white Durango after more than $1 million in stolen construction equipment was seized from a store in Toronto. (YRP)
Investigators say the suspects then attended a retail store in Toronto and offloaded stolen goods. A search warrant was executed at the store and police say more than $1 million in construction equipment was seized.
At that time, officers arrested Toronto resident Xue Zhou, 57, and Brampton residents Sukhmanpreet Singh, 26, and Lovepreet Singh, 26. The three are facing more than 55 combined charges.
Two further suspects remain outstanding, the release states. Police are also searching for the white Dodge Durango seen in the surveillance footage.
Anyone with information is asked to contact York Regional Police at 1-866-287-5025, ext. 7241, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS