Two Durham Region men charged after female allegedly forced into vehicle, driven to Mississauga hotel

Two men from Durham Region have been charged with kidnapping after allegedly forcing a female into a vehicle and driving her to a hotel in Mississauga this past weekend, police say.

The incident happened on Sunday at around 10:40 p.m., Durham Regional Police said in a news release on Wednesday.

Police said they responded to a wellness call in Ajax and were told that a woman had not returned to her residence for her curfew that day.

They said that she was last seen getting into a vehicle with unknown males.

Further investigation revealed that the victim had been communicating with a suspect male via a social media app called Yubo earlier in the day, police said.

“The victim made arrangements to meet with the suspect in the afternoon, but the suspect did not show up. Later that evening the victim was out walking with a friend when the suspect approached her in a vehicle, being driven by another male,” they reported.

“The suspect forced the victim into the vehicle and fled the area. The victim later texted a friend that she needed help and was being forced into the sex trade.”

Police said they found both the victim and the two suspects at a hotel in Mississauga, adding that “both suspects were taken into custody without incident, and the victim was transported to a place of safety.”

The victim was not injured, police said.

Oneil Ford, 19, of Oshawa, and 20-year-old Deshawn Brown, of Pickering, were both charged with kidnapping and were held for a bail hearing.

Police noted in their release that the information has been obtained through a police investigation and that the allegations have yet to be proven in court.

Anyone with information about this or similar incidents is asked to contact Durham Regional Police Service’s Human Trafficking Unit at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5600, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.