Nearly 20 criminal charges against a man following a pair of violent robberies and kidnapping in Orillia.
On Wednesday night, OPP say they responded to a robbery at a business on Memorial Avenue. A person armed with a metal pipe entered the business, demanded money, and fled after an altercation with an employee. The individual then entered another nearby business and once again demanded money, then fled after an altercation with a customer.
Police say the suspect left the business, entered a vehicle and ordered the owner to drive away. The driver was able to escape from the vehicle a short distance away. The suspect fled in the vehicle at a high rate of speed before crashing.
The person was transported to hospital as a precaution and later released.
A 22-year-old from Orillia has a long list of charges including kidnapping, two counts each of robbery with violence and assault with a weapon, and theft of a motor vehicle.
