Police have arrested three people in connection with a rash of violent cell phone store robberies that have occurred across the Greater Toronto Area this winter.
Police say that a total of eleven robberies occurred in Toronto, Durham Region and York Region between January 8 and February 27.
They say that in each of the robberies two men entered the store and proceeded to threaten and assault employees while demanding access to a safe where cell phones were stored.
The men would then flee the stores with a quantity of cell phones, police say. In some instances they left the area in stolen vehicles.
In the wake of the rash of robberies, the Toronto Police Service Hold Up Squad began a multi-jurisdictional investigation in cooperation with their counterparts in Durham and York regions.
That investigation eventually led to the execution of three search warrants at addresses in Toronto and the arrest of two men and one woman.
Police say that during the execution of those search warrants officers recovered some of the stolen cell phones, as well as keys belonging to multiple stolen vehicles.
They say that they also seized clothing worn by the suspects during some of the robberies.
Junior Hazzard, 22, of Toronto, and Keshawn Fleming, 20, of Toronto are facing a combined 87 charges, including multiple counts of robbery and theft of motor vehicle.
Police have also charged 37-year-old Toronto resident Sandy Bowen with two counts of possession of property obtained by crime.
