A Vaughan, Ont., resident who fired a gun at five suspects who were attempting to steal a white Lamborghini has been charged, police say.
York Regional Police were called to Pine Heights Drive, near Major MacKenzie Drive West and Highway 400, at approximately 4 a.m. Thursday for a report of a vehicle theft in progress.
While an emergency dispatcher was on the phone with the caller, police said, the sound of gunshots was heard. It’s unclear who made the 911 call.
No injuries were reported.
Police previously stated that the resident successfully “interrupted” the attempted auto theft and when officers arrived at the scene, they took four suspects into custody.
In a subsequent news release, the three adult suspects were identified as 20-year-old Moses Newton Larmond of Brampton, 20-year-old Troy Boca Peart of Toronto, and 22-year-old Nana-Yaw Kwartern of Mississauga. The fourth suspect, a 16-year-old boy from Pickering, cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
They are facing charges of attempted break-and-enter, attempted theft of a motor vehicle, disguise with intent, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Kwarten has also been charged with breach of probation. Police said the 16-year-old was out on bail for multiple charges at the time of the offence.
“Once again, we’re seeing cases where individuals released on bail are involved in serious crimes within our communities,” York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said in a statement. “To ensure public safety and protect our officers, we need a bail system that effectively addresses repeat violent offenders while maintaining public confidence.”
Police said one other suspect is outstanding.
Initially, police said the suspects were attempting to break into homes in the area. However, Dickson clarified that while police don’t believe a break-and-enter took place, the suspects were on the resident’s property at the time of the incident. Images from the scene showed that a Lamborghini remained parked in the driveway.
The resident, who rents the property and was identified by police only as a 35-year-old man, was charged with discharging a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, careless storage of a firearm and unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm.
Use of firearm not ‘appropriate’ in this case: police
Dickson spoke about the resident’s choice to discharge his firearm, described by police as a long gun, and said it was “not the appropriate one” in this case.
“Proportionality and reasonability is entirely determined by the courts,” he said. “Every case is distinct and different. And the biggest thing we want to hammer home is that there’s always a very considerable danger to other people that are around (when a gun is discharged). A car can be replaced but a human life cannot.”
Police are still trying to determine if the suspects were armed.
