Toronto police are seeking a group of BB gun-toting bandits they believe are responsible for eight holdups at fast-food stores in the city’s northwest.
The robberies, committed by a group investigators have dubbed the ‘Red Ryder Bandits”, occurred between March 14 and April 11, mostly in the area of Hwy. 27 and Weston Road.
“These lever-action losers need to be apprehended before they actually shoot somebody’s eye out,” Hold-Up Squad Staff Insp. Mike Earl said at a press conference Thursday.
Police have released security camera video of one of the holdups, which occurred at a Subway restaurant on Westmore Drive on Feb. 7.
The footage shows three masked men entering and robbing the restaurant. One pointed a rifle in the direction of a child and her mother.
“If you actually saw the child’s face without being blurred you can see the fear in the child’s face with that rifle pointed at that child,” said Earl.
“I am sure the mother and child will have some issues for a little while trying to get over this.”
The suspects also stole the woman’s wallet.
While there have been no injuries reported in any of the incidents, Earl said the suspects have made threats of bodily harm if the victims did not comply. In each circumstance, they made off with a “small amount of cash.”
The robberies were carried out by one to three suspects, according to Earl. In the incidents involving three suspects, such as the Subway robbery, one of the men enters the building, takes out the BB gun and demands money while another suspect jumps over the counter to take control of the clerk and obtain the cash. The third suspect stands watch at the door.
The suspects are described as being in their late teens to early 20s and are of medium height with medium builds. In all cases, their faces are covered by hoods or bags with eye holes cut out.
Earl is urging anyone with information to call police or Crime Stoppers.