York Regional Police have six people in custody after a smash-and-grab jewelry store robbery that was caught on video on Wednesday.
Several suspects robbed a jewelry store in a Markham shopping mall in the area of McCowan Road and Highway 7 shortly after 12 noon, according to Const. Kevin Nebrija. He said police received several reports about the robbery.
“The suspects were observed to be smashing glass cases with hammers in an attempt to steal items,” Nebrija told reporters near the scene.
Video of the incident posted to Reddit shows masked men smashing the windows and front door of Lukfook Jewellery, a store in Markville Shopping Centre. Police have not verified the video but said they are aware of a video circulating online.
Police are not aware of any injuries inside the mall, he said. There are no reports that firearms were used, he said.
Police said a Honda Civic, believed to be the suspect vehicle, crashed into the back of a vehicle in the same area. Officers who went to the scene saw men fleeing from the vehicle and gave chase. Police arrested four at the scene and two in a washroom of a nearby restaurant.
People in the vehicle that was rear-ended suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
“We are still working to determine the exact number of outstanding suspects,” Nebrija said.
Nebrija said police do not know how many people were in the Honda Civic at the time it crashed.
He said police understand that these incidents can have a negative impact on mall workers and shoppers.
“We can understand the level of fear that this can cause — the sounds of hammer smashing glass cases, it’s not something normal. It’s not something that we would expect or anyone would expect to witness or hear when shopping,” Nebrija said.
“However, these are targeted incidents. We just ask our community members to be the best witness, not to get involved and to provide us with any information they might have.”
There’s no word on the ages of the suspects or charges or the items stolen.