Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto

Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.

On Friday, York Regional Police said the vehicle used in the carjacking has been connected to other armed carjackings in the Greater Toronto Area and investigators are releasing video surveillance footage of the suspects in an effort to find others who may be “linked to this criminal network.”

The attempted carjacking occurred at around 2 a.m. on April 6 in a parking lot in the area of Yonge Street and Glen Cameron Road.

York Regional Police said a woman was walking to her car when a suspect approached her and pulled her away, allowing a second suspect to gain entry to her vehicle.

“The victim struggled with the suspect while her husband joined in to assist,” police said in a news release issued earlier this week.

Police said the suspects attempted to flee in the victim’s vehicle, but crashed into another car in the parking lot.

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In video surveillance footage of the incident, a suspect driving a Mercedes SUV is seen reversing into a parked car. When the Mercedes is stopped, a man, who police identified as the victim’s husband, attempts to pull the suspect out of the driver’s seat. After a brief struggle, the two suspects can be seen running to a getaway car, a white Acura, parked nearby. The two suspects and the driver of the Acura then leave the area, police said.

According to investigators, the getaway car used by the suspects was believed to have been stolen from Peel Region on April 1.

Police said they later located the Acura and the suspects in a parking lot on April 13. In security video captured at the scene, flashbang devices can be heard going off as officers with the hold-up squad and emergency response unit crash two pickup trucks, a van, and an SUV into the Acura, blocking the suspects in.

The occupants of the Acura are seen fleeing on foot as a several officers chase after the suspects through the parking lot.

The suspects, ages 15, 16, and 18, were taken into custody, investigators said, adding that a loaded handgun with an extended magazine was found during a search.

According to investigators, the Acura was also used in a carjacking of a BMW in Toronto on April 7. The suspects in that incident were charged by Toronto police on April 12 after crashing into Toronto police vehicles, police said.

“Investigators believe there may be other suspects linked to this criminal network and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward,” York Regional Police said in a news release. “The investigation is ongoing.”

Police are asking anyone with information about the carjackings to contact the York Regional Police Hold-Up Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6630. Anonymous information can also be provided by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or by visiting www.1800222tips.com.