Surveillance video appears to show the moment two suspects broke into a York Region business over the weekend and set it ablaze.
York Regional Police said it’s one of two arsons they are investigating that happened in the same Richmond Hill plaza over the long weekend.
Police said at around 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, officers responded to a plaza in the area of Leslie Street and Highway 7 East for a report of smoke from from a building.
Firefighters were already on scene working to put out a fire inside a business when officers arrived.
Police said video surveillance shows two suspects walking through the parking lot carrying containers.
Video released by police appears to show two suspects smashing through glass to get into the building before they pour liquid throughout the interior.
They then exit before the business is engulfed in flames.
“The suspects were last seen running north through the parking lot to Wertheim Court. One of the suspects may have sustained burns to his hand,” police said.
A second fire occurred before 5 a.m. Monday at a different business within the same plaza, police said, which caused “significant damage” to the business and surrounding units.
“The investigation revealed that two male suspects were in the area around 5 a.m. and were seen running through the parking lot carrying jugs of liquid,” police said.
Again they were reportedly seen running toward Wertheim Court.
Video appearing to show part of that incident is not as dramatic as the first, with two suspects in a stairwell with jugs of liquid exiting through a door. They then enter through a second door to the left of the first one and run away as black smoke is seen entering the stairwell.
It’s not clear if the suspects are the same individuals in both incidents, but police said officers “believe the fires may be connected.”
In the first incident, the suspects may have been operating a white four-door vehicle, police said.
Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area was asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
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