A safe and a machine that tests for gold were stolen in a break-in at a business located in the Bayfield Mall in Barrie.
Police say the five suspects, dressed in black and wearing masks over their faces, entered the business shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday, and were gone with the stolen goods in under a minute.
"From the investigation that followed, police have learned that a pry-type bar was used on the door to the business, which caused the glass to shatter. Once inside, the suspects made their way to a room where they located the safe," police said in a news release.
The safe was pushed out of the store and to a car that is believed to have been parked near the southwest doors of the mall.
Police say that a few minutes later, surveillance video from a nearby business showed a dark-coloured sport utility vehicle (SUV), possibly a BMW with chrome rims, travelling at a high rate of speed through the parking lot towards Coulter Street. From there, the video shows the vehicle heading southbound on Bayfield Street, and police say it may have continued onto southbound Highway 400.
Police are asking anyone who saw the dark-coloured SUV and has dash cam video to contact the investigating officer by email at mmcgill@barriepolice.ca
The total value of the contents contained in the safe and the value of the gold testing machine are not being disclosed, said police, as the owner is still adding up his losses.
