He is alleged to be one of the most prolific and sophisticated break-and-enter artists in Toronto history.
But 43-year-old Shane Gagnon, a.k.a. Shane Zwezdaryk, was not arrested after a break-and-enter or during an undercover sting. Police say they caught him because he ran a stop sign in Toronto's west end on Jan. 31.
When Gagnon allegedly refused to stop for police, a chase ensued, ultimately leaving Gagnon charged with dangerous driving. Then the uniformed officers searched his vehicle.
"At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of a large number of stolen items, including a vast array of watches, jewellery and quite a bit of cash," Toronto Police Det. Sgt. Savas Kyriacou alleged in a news conference Thursday.
Gagnon's arrest marked a break in a case that had been going on for months, as investigators from Toronto and York Region pieced together dozens of break-and-enters in high-end homes.
In many of the break-ins, the thief broke into the homes via the roof, leading police to dub the investigation Project Spiderman.
"He used an array of very sophisticated equipment, including cameras, spy cameras, parabolic listening devices, break-in instruments such as you see in front of you, ropes," Kyriacou said, surrounded by expensive watches and shelves of alleged burglar tools. "He gained entry into the homes in a lot of those areas by climbing onto the roof, cutting a hole through the roof, lowering himself into the attic and from there into the room, thereby he was bypassing a lot of the alarm systems that were installed at the homes."
The majority of the victims were not at home when the break-ins happened, Kyriacou said, adding many homes were broken into while the residents were out of town or at church or synagogue during the holidays.
Investigators allege Gagnon was breaking into homes for "at least three years," though they are looking back until 2008 for other cases.
Officially, Gagnon has been charged with 31 break-and-enters, but on Thursday, Toronto Police Supt. Scott Baptist said he believes there were "literally hundreds" of break-ins at the hands of Gagnon, including "dozens" in York Region.
Prolific as police are alleging him to be, Gagnon was no stranger to police before his arrest.
In 2000, when he went by the name Shane Swezdaryk, the iron worker was part of a team of thieves who were arrested in the deadly armed robbery of a Richmond Hill jewellery store.
It was Jan. 16, 2000, that Zwezdaryk and his associates broke into the East Beaver Creek Rd. jewellery store through the roof. Store clerk Niv Erez, 23, was fatally shot, while store owner Mark Lash was injured in the robbery.
Media reports from the years that followed suggest Gagnon cooperated with police, leaving him with an 11-year sentence, most of which was not served behind bars.
Court records show he was convicted of two counts of commit break-and-enter and one count of break-and-enter with intent.
While Gagnon is the sole suspect charged in Project Spiderman, police say they are looking into the possibility he was not working alone. Among the equipment they allegedly found at his Bradford home was a two-way radio.
Police believe he made "millions" allegedly stealing high-end jewellery and selling it at pawn shops.
"Through our investigation, we have identified some jewellers where he is pawning the property in the City of Vaughan and have been told he's getting 30 cents on the jeweller for selling the products, but some of the jewellers have commented that he knew the jewellery better than the jewellers themselves, so he's been in the business for a long time," York Regional Police Det. Sgt. Don Cardwell alleged.
Police are appealing to anyone who thinks they may have been victimized to call police at 416-808-3219 or email gagnon.32division@torontopolice.on.ca. Pictures of the allegedly stolen goods that investigators found during search warrants are available online.
Gagnon is a husband, a father of two and a competitive arm wrestler. In his online profiles, he describes himself as an inventor and an iron worker. Police say he was in the process of starting up a restaurant with his wife when he was arrested.
Gagnon was released on bail from the Newmarket courthouse on Wednesday. He is now under house arrest.
