Police arrest two of four hammer-toting suspects in smash-and-grab robberies at 3 GTA jewelry stores

A Peel Police shoulder patch is seen in Mississauga, Ont., on Saturday, July 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

Two people have been arrested in connection with a series of smash-and-grab robberies over the past week that targeted jewelry stores in Mississauga and Brampton.

The first incident occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 12 in a store near Dixie Road and South Service Road in Mississauga. Police said four suspects whose faces were covered allegedly rushed inside and smashed display cases with their hammers, stealing various amounts of jewelry.

They fled the area in a vehicle, which police said was later determined to have been stolen.

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Four days later, on Jan. 16, a similar incident happened at a jewelry store in the area of Goreway Drive and Morning Star Drive in Mississauga. Four suspects armed with hammers entered the store, shattered display cases and took pieces of jewelry.

The next day, before 4 p.m., police believe the same four hammer-toting suspects arrived at a jewelry store near Kennedy Road and Clarence Street in Brampton and deployed similar tactics, smashing display cases and taking jewelry.

This time, though, police said responding officers were able to track the suspects’ vehicle a short distance away from the scene. Following a brief pursuit, two of the four were arrested.

Police said no one was physically injured during the three incidents.

On Thursday, police identified the two suspects as 18-year-old Elijah Roberts and a 16-year-old person, whose name cannot be released under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

They are both charged with three counts of robbery, three counts of disguise with intent and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime.

No descriptions have been released for the two other outstanding suspects.

“Great collaborative work with our uniform members in securing these arrests in such a timely and efficient manner,” Insp. Sean Brennan with Peel police’s Financial Crime Services said in a statement.

“These violent targeted robbery incidents will not be tolerated in Peel Region and all resources will be employed to identify, arrest and put those responsible before the courts.”

Police ask anyone with information about these incidents to contact investigators at 905-453-2121 ext. 3410 or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or peelcrimestoppers.ca.

The arrests come as police in the Greater Toronto Area continue to investigate similar incidents of smash-and-grab style robberies over the past few months.

Just on Wednesday evening, a store at Sherway Gardens was targeted by robbers who smashed display cases and stole an undisclosed amount of items. No arrests have been made in that incident.