A man from Toronto has been charged after he allegedly carjacked a vehicle in the Ajax area, drove it into a tree, and then attempted to steal two more cars.
Durham Regional Police Service said that the incident happened on Dec. 23 shortly before 3 p.m.
Officers were initially called to a parking lot in the area of Bayly Street West and Kitney Drive in Ajax. There, a man reportedly approached an individual and demanded they exit their vehicle while indicating that he had a weapon.
Police say the man then fled the area in the victim’s vehicle before “colliding with a tree a short distance away.”
When a passerby attempted to assist him, the man allegedly attempted to carjack their vehicle as well. He was unsuccessful and fled the area on foot, police say.
Officers with the Durham K9 and Robbery Unit, alongside the Provincial Carjacking Task Force, set up a perimeter of the area, which resulted in the arrest of 20-year-old Ricardo Newell, of Toronto.
Police say in the time that it took them to locate Newell, he allegedly unsuccessfully attempted to carjack a third victim, whose vehicle was idling in a residential driveway.
Newell has been charged with one count each of robbery, possession of a weapon for committing an offence, disguise with intent, using a firearm during the commission of offence, and failure to complete with a release order.
The charges have not been tested in court. The accused is being held pending a bail hearing.
Police are asking anyone with surveillance footage, dash-cam footage, or new information about this incident to contact the Durham Major Crime Robbery Unit at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5355, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
