Three individuals, including two men and a youth, have been arrested by Toronto police following a crash involving a stolen vehicle and a police car in Scarborough during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
According to authorities, the suspects were seen removing license plates from a parked vehicle and damaging the sunroof in an effort to break into the vehicle around 1:43 a.m. in the Morningside Avenue and Halfway Avenue vicinity. After allegedly transferring the stolen plates to another vehicle, they fled the scene.
Upon attempting to intercept the suspects, law enforcement reported that the driver deliberately crashed into the police cruiser. Although one suspect attempted to flee, all three were swiftly apprehended and taken into custody.
Following an investigation, it was revealed that the vehicle they were driving had been previously reported as stolen. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a device for reprogramming car keys and a programmable master key, according to police allegations.
The arrested individuals – Alaa Khaled, 19, and Matin Ahmad, 18, both from Toronto, along with a 16-year-old whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act – are facing a range of charges including theft under $5,000, possession of property obtained through crime under $5,000, and attempted unlawful acquisition of an automobile master key. Khaled is also charged with dangerous operation.