Quebec woman shocked to find stolen Audi driven through Ontario mall in 'insane' theft
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall theft.
Taylor-Anna Kobinger, a resident of Laval, Que., listed her 2011 Black Audi A4 on Facebook Marketplace in January as a means to raise the funds needed for a down payment on a home.
On Jan. 29, Kobinger said a man responded to her ad and came to her home in order to test drive the vehicle. She said he took the car out twice – on the first drive, she said everything went accordingly, but when he asked to test drive it a second time, she said the man began to “drive dangerously.”
“He was really driving very dangerously and I didn't feel secure, so I [asked] to change places,” Kobinger said.
But, when she stepped out of the passenger seat, she said the man hit the gas and drove away.
“I tried to run after it. I fell. I slipped because I had rain boots,” she said. “And from that moment, I haven't seen my car.”
However, on Wednesday morning, Kobinger said York Regional Police (YRP) told her that her car had been involved in a theft – more than 550 km from her home in Laval.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
According to York Regional Police (YRP), a car with the same license plate as Kobinger’s had been driven through the glass doors of an Ontario mall early Wednesday before allegedly breaking into an electronics store.
YRP was not able to confirm Kobinger as the owner of the car, but Kobinger provided documentation to CTV News Toronto showing her vehicle matched the description and plate number provided by police in an earlier press release.
Surveillance footage from inside Vaughan Mills, just north of Toronto, shows a 2011 Black Audi A4, with Quebec licence plate, driving into one of the mall's closed entrances at a high rate of speed.
The vehicle is then seen driving erratically through a number of hallways in the shopping centre before smashing through a different exit and fleeing the scene.
The video does not show, however, when the suspects allegedly broke into the store.
“It is an audacious crime,” Sgt. Clint Whitney told reporters outside the mall on Wednesday. “It is unacceptable. People work in this mall, there is going to be cleaners, there is going to be security personnel. So we are just fortunate that nobody was hurt and it is property damage only.”
The incident happened at around 1:10 a.m. at the shopping centre near Highway 400 and Rutherford Road. Police arrived shortly after 1:30 a.m.
He said that the vehicle, which had been reported stolen, was last seen heading towards Jane Street.
“It did look like they were going shopping in that vehicle. It is very, very audacious,” he told reporters. “I don’t know what was going through their minds.”
A vehicle is seen driving through a Vaughan Mills mall as part of a smash-and-grab style robbery. (York Regional Police)
Whitney said police are looking for two suspects in connection with the incident but are unable to provide a description, as both were disguised by hoods at the time.
He said the suspects made off with a “quantity of electronic devices” and could face extensive charges in connection with the apparent joyride.
At about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Kobinger said YRP called her and told her of her car’s involvement in the incident.
“First, I cried, I freaked out because I don't have that kind of money to fix it,” Kobinger said when asked how she took the news.
“Never in my life did I expect to see my car in a mall – literally never – I was very surprised to have it all the way [in Vaughan].”
While Kobinger said she’s glad her car has been found, she also said she’s struck with worry over the costs of having to travel to retrieve it and the subsequent repairs.
Vaughan Mayor Stephen Del Duca called the incident “absolutely insane” when speaking to CP24 Wednesday.
“Earlier this morning when I heard the story I couldn’t believe it,” Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca told CP24 on Wednesday.
“I shop at Vaughan Mills, so many in our community do. It is just outrageous. I have lived here for 35 years. Vaughan is a very safe community but to see the way that some people, the criminal element, are going about doing what they are doing, it is outrageous and we need every hand on deck to try to fix it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.