A shocking video of an armed robbery in Thornhill shows a man being robbed and pulled from his vehicle by three assailants.
Investigators with the York Regional Police hold-up unit are looking for three suspects and appealing for witnesses following a violent robbery in Thornhill earlier this week.
On Tuesday around 5:10 p.m., police were called to a commercial plaza in the area of Yonge Street and Meadowview Avenue.
A video of the robbery shows the victim driving through the plaza when his vehicle is boxed in by a white Lexus sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a white, four-door Mercedes-Benz.
Three suspects are seen exiting their vehicles, pulling the victim from his car and assaulting him.
The suspects are then seen stealing a black, carry-on-style suitcase containing cash from the victim’s vehicle.
“It was a very shocking thing to see for us, even as officers, because it is a very specific intention to stop the victim in his track and so we are quite concerned about that tactic alone,” said Const. Kevin Nebrija, media relations officer.
Nebrija said the SUV used had been stolen in Toronto earlier that day and the other vehicle had a stolen licence plate, making them both hard to track.
Police say the victim sustained minor injuries.
“It is property at the end of the day, it’s not worth your life getting seriously injured for that. So, we just remind people to comply with their requests. If you are a victim of this and you try to fight back, that might escalate the suspect’s behaviour and that’s not what we want,” Nebrija said.
The three suspects are described as males wearing dark clothing, and police say they spoke with a Middle Eastern accent.
The descriptions of the drivers of the Lexus SUV and Mercedes-Benz are unknown.
Police say this was a targeted incident, and the investigation is ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the York Regional Police hold-up unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 6630, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online.