TORONTO — A Barrie man and four Toronto men have been charged in two separate incidents after police say they stole alcohol from liquor stores in Ontario the day before St. Patrick’s Day.
Durham Regional Police said two men entered an LCBO on Highway 2 at about 6 p.m. Wednesday. One of the men then allegedly stole bottles of liquor while the other acted as a lookout, police said.
Security guards approached the two men and attempted to detain one of them as they exited the store, which is when police said the man became “assaultive.”
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Investigators said the man who was allegedly acting as a lookout then pulled out a knife and threatened security guards before escaping the area in a waiting vehicle.
Officers responded to the scene and located the suspects attempting to escape and arrested four men. None of the LCBO employees were injured.
- Garrett Evans, 34, of Toronto, has been charged with theft under $5,000, assault to resist arrest and possession of property obtained by crime.
- Terry Hedgeman, 37, of Toronto, has been charged with theft under $5,000, weapons dangerous and possession of property obtained by crime.
- Philmore Lee, 53, of Toronto, and Robert Hedgeman, 40, of Toronto, have both been charged with possession of property obtained by crime.
In a separate but similar incident on Wednesday, a 45-year-old Barrie man was charged with theft under $5,000 after police said he stole two bottles of scotch from a local LCBO on Mary Street.
The man allegedly left the store without attempting to pay for the alcohol, but was stopped and arrested by loss prevention officers. He will appear in a Barrie court in April.
Anyone with new information is asked to contact Det. Aylward of the East Division Criminal Investigation Bureau at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1605.
Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at http://www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca.