$750,000 worth of goods stolen during violent Toronto jewelry store robbery

Toronto police have released surveillance video of a violent robbery at a Rexdale jewelry store this past spring where the suspects allegedly made off with $750,000 worth of stolen goods.

It happened on May 4 in the area of Finch Avenue West and Highway 27 at approximately 12:50 p.m., according to the timestamp on the video released Friday.

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In a news release, investigators said four men wearing construction vests who had their identities concealed with masks attended the unidentified store and waited for an employee to open the door.

When an employee did open the door, all four men rushed inside, police said.

The video appears to show one of the suspects frantically dragging the employee through a gated security door before dropping him and running further into the store.

An image from surveillance video of a violent Rexdale jewelry store robbery is seen in this image. (Toronto Police Service)

As the suspect runs out of frame, the employee is then dragged by one of his accomplices as another appears to draw a firearm from his waistband and points it at him. At that time, police said, the gun-wielding suspect made demands for cash and jewelry.

The suspects then appear to ransack the store, grabbing jewelry from display cases and placing them into duffle bags.

At one point, one of the two employees in the store -- who police have blurred the identities of -- is kicked multiple times by one of the suspects.

The suspects eventually fled the scene in a stolen vehicle with a “large” quantity of jewelry, which police told CTV News Toronto is valued at $750,000.

Police are looking to identify three suspects involved in a violent Rexdale jewelry store robbery. (Toronto Police Service)

The employees suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

According to police, investigators with the service’s Hold Up Squad were able to identify one of the suspects and, with the assistance of 23 Division, executed two search warrants on Oct. 5.

Those searches allegedly yielded clothing worn by the suspect during the robbery.

As a result, 18-year-old Johnathan Prevost of Richmond Hill was arrested and charged with a number of offences, including robbery with a firearm, disguise with intent, two counts of forcible confinement, and two counts of assault with a weapon.

Johnathan Prevost is seen in this image. (Toronto Police Service)

The three other suspects in the video remain unidentified, police said. Images of the suspects from the surveillance video were published Friday in an effort to identify them.

“If located, do not approach, call 911 immediately,” police said.

Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact police at 416-808-7350 or Crime Stoppers.