A 28-year-old man is facing a long list of charges in connection with a rash of vehicle thefts from dealerships across the GTA.

York Regional Police say that they began an investigation on June 25 of last year after being notified about the theft of a Range Rover from a dealership in the area of Kennedy Road and Unionville Gate in Markham. Police say that in that incident the suspect had been looking at the vehicle with an employee of the dealership when he suddenly drove away.

A similar incident then occurred at a dealership in the area of Rivermede Road and Highway 7 in Vaughan on Sept. 3. Police say that the suspect in that case attempted to speed away in a Mercedes SUV he had asked to test drive and then ended up “striking and injuring an employee who was trying to prevent the theft.”

Investigators have since linked the suspect in the two incidents to other similar thefts in Caledon, Oakville and Toronto, police say.

Phillip O’Neil Wessam, 28, of Brampton, was arrested on Jan. 17 and charged with 21 offences, including six counts of vehicle theft.

Police say that they are releasing a image of Wessam to ensure that there are not any additional incidents which have not been reported.