One of four suspects accused of abducting 22-year-old Wanzhen Lu in Markham last month has been identified as a Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued by police on Monday.
The alleged abduction took place in an underground parking garage near Highway 7 and Birchmount Road on March 23 at around 6 p.m.
At the time, Lu was with a female friend when a Dodge Caravan pulled up beside them in the condo parking lot. Three suspects got out of the vehicle and approached Lu, who was walking toward the elevators, police said. A fourth suspect remained inside the van.
Lu was then shocked with a conducted energy weapon multiple times and was forced into the vehicle before being driven off, according to investigators. The friend Lu was with was not injured in the incident.
Police said the encounter was captured on surveillance cameras.
Lu was found safe in Gravenhurst on March 26. He was spotted alone by a man who was walking his dog at the time.
The man, who did not want to be identified, told CP24 Lu was wearing a hooded sweatshirt that had a bit of duct tape stuck to it. Lu was taken to hospital with minor injuries and then returned to York Region to speak with investigators.
Lu has since reunited with his family, who travelled to Canada from China.
After investigators released still images of the suspects and the suspect vehicle from the surveillance footage, the minivan used in the incident was located on March 24 at an unspecified location in Toronto.
A 35-year-old man was arrested in connection with the matter on March 26 but was later released unconditionally with no charges laid against him.
No other arrests have been made in connection with this investigation.
On Tuesday, officers released suspect images of one of the four outstanding suspects in this case as they issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant.
He has been identified Toronto-resident Abdullahi Adan, 37. He is described by investigators as having dark skin, standing six-foot-two with a heavier build and was last seen wearing dark blue jeans with a black jacket.
Adan is wanted on four charges, including kidnapping, forcible confinement and assault.
No detailed descriptions of the three other suspects have been released.
“This investigation is still ongoing,” a news release issued by police said. “York Regional Police will continue to dedicate significant resources to find the additional suspects, as they are still at large and considered armed and dangerous.”
“We strongly recommend that the suspects involved in this kidnapping seek legal counsel and turn themselves in.”
Police said if anyone spots Adan they are urged to call 911 immediately.
The motivation behind this incident remains under investigation, York Regional Police Const. Andy Pattenden told reporters on Monday.
“Originally our focus was finding Lu is good health and thankfully that happened and now our investigation has turned towards our suspects,” he said. “Our investigators are continuing to work to get these suspects in custody and then we will probably have a better idea of what the motive was in this incident.”
Pattenden said there is no known connection between Adan and Lu.
Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is asked to contact officers at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7865 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
