York Regional Police have charged four teenagers and are searching for a fifth suspect following a jewelry store robbery at Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket.
Police say they responded to reports of a robbery inside the mall just before 5:30 on Wednesday afternoon.
"It was reported that five masked suspects entered the store armed with hammers, smashed display cases and filled duffel bags with jewlery," police said in a news release.
As the suspects fled, they were confronted by mall security, and during the confrontation, police say an aerosol irritant was discharged toward the security guards, and the suspects fled in a Mercedes SUV.
Officers located the vehicle southbound on Highway 404 and were able to box it in on Steeles Avenue, where the suspects attempted to flee on foot.
With assistance from the canine unit and the air support unit, four out of five suspects were captured.
Police say further investigation revealed the vehicle used in the robbery had been stolen earlier in the day during a home invasion in Vaughan. Investigators have not determined if the suspects were involved in that incident.
Two 16-year-olds, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old face weapon, robbery and other charges.
The four suspects are from Brampton and Toronto.
The other suspect is described as male, between 16 and 20 years old, with a thin build, and was wearing a black hoodie, black pants, black shoes, and a black face mask.
Police say that at the time of the robbery, the adult male was bound by an undertaking, and one of the 16-year-olds was on a release order for unrelated offences.
