York Regional Police say they managed to track down a carjacking suspect less than an hour after keys were pried away from the victim outside of his Richmond Hill home.
Officers were called to a home in the area of Observatory Lane and Yonge Street at around 10 p.m. on Feb. 3 following a carjacking.
Police said a victim was entering his home when a male suspect approached him and demanded the keys to his Subaru Crosstrek. The two fought over the keys, and the suspect eventually overpowered the vehicle owner and fled in his car.
Less than an hour later, officers were able to locate the vehicle in a nearby plaza.
The suspect was taken into custody as he exited a store, police said.
"The suspect attempted to tell officers he was the owner of the vehicle. Through investigation, the suspect’s identity was confirmed and officers learned several items had been stolen from the store," police said in a news release.
Police said 27-year-old Morgan Schmidt is now facing a number of charges, including robbery, theft under $5,000, shoplifting, possession of property obtained by crime and obstructing a peace officer.
Auto theft has been a heated topic of conversation recently. News of the arrest comes as a federal summit is convened in Ottawa to discuss auto theft and what can be done to address the problem.
In the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), police services have recently pooled their resources to establish a provincial carjacking joint task force to combat auto crime.
The task force recently reported that they have laid hundreds of charges in connection with violent vehicle crimes in the GTA since December.
