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
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Spain abolishes national bullfighting award in cultural shift
Spain scrapped an annual bullfighting award on Friday, prompting a rebuke from conservatives over a backlash against a centuries-old tradition they see as an art form but which has run into growing concern for animal welfare.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.