On Saturday, January 28, 2023, at approximately 3:15 p.m., 2 male youths and an adult male entered a mobile phone business located in a plaza at 555 Essa Rd. in the City of Barrie and proceeded to rob the business.
The suspects obtained an undisclosed amount of currency, a number of mobile phones and then fled in what was later determined to a stolen motor vehicle.
Barrie Police immediately responded to the scene of the robbery and one responding officer observed the suspects in the stolen car travelling on Essa Rd. This vehicle entered onto Highway 400 and continued southbound at a high rate of speed only to be stopped by officers from the Aurora Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) as it exited at King Rd.
The occupants of the vehicle were arrested by the OPP and transported back to Barrie Police Headquarters where the investigation continued.
As a result of the investigation that was conducted by uniform officers, the Barrie Police Forensic Identification Unit, and detectives from Investigative Services, two 16-year-old males from Toronto, whose identity cannot be released under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) have been charged with:
- Robbery with Violence
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime (2 counts)
- Assault
- Assault with a Weapon
- Forcible Confinement
- Wear Disguise.
An 18-year-old male, also from Toronto has been charged with:
- Robbery with Violence
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime (2 counts).
The males were all held in custody for a bail hearing that took place yesterday and two of the accused, the 18-year-old adult and a 16-year-old youth were remanded in custody, while the other 16-year-old youth was released with a court date of February 21, 2023.
| Occurrence #: | BA23006009 |
| Prepared by: | Corporate Communications Coordinator, Peter Leon |