Peel police warn of increase in high-end vehicle thefts

Peel Regional Police are warning the public about a recent spike in high-end car thefts.

Investigators said they have been made aware of different incidents since March that often involve the use of weapons and threats of violence.

Suspects have been known to respond to car sale ads and in other cases intentionally caused rear-end crashes, police said.

In a news release Friday, officers described two alleged incidents of suspects causing minor rear-end collisions.

Officers said they responded to a call around 8:45 p.m in the Mavis Road area in Mississauga on Thursday when a light-coloured SUV rear-ended another car.

The victim exited their car to inspect the damages and noticed that the suspect had been “looking around suspiciously,” officers said. The victim called police and the suspects fled the scene.

A similar incident happened around 10 p.m in the Goreway Drive area in Brampton when a light-coloured SUV rear ended another vehicle, police said.

As the victim got out of the car to check for damage, he was allegedly struck in the head by one of four or five suspects. One of the suspects jumped into the driver’s side of the vehicle when the family of the victim confronted the suspect, who later fled the scene in the SUV, police said.

The victim was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The three suspects are described as being males between 17 and 23 years old and were wearing surgical masks, police said.

Investigators are reminding the public if they are involved in a collision to exit the car and remove the keys from the ignition. If someone believes they were intentionally hit by another car, they should remain in their car and call police, officers said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 905-453–2121 ext. 3410 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

18:55 1-on-1 with Peel Regional Police Chief