Male Arrested for Car Jacking in Ajax
A male is in custody following a car jacking at a parking lot in Ajax.
On Saturday, December 23, 2023, at approximately 2:55 p.m., members of West Division responded to a stolen vehicle in progress call at a parking lot in the area of Bayly Street West and Kitney Drive in Ajax. A male approached the victim after he returned to his vehicle from a local business. The male demanded the victim exit the vehicle and gestured that he had a weapon. The male fled the area in the victim’s vehicle, before colliding with a tree a short distance away. The male attempted to car jack another driver who had stopped to offer assistance after witnessing the collision. The male was unsuccessful and fled the area on foot. Officers set up a perimeter, and with the assistance of the K9 Unit, Robbery Unit, and the Provincial Carjacking Task Force, successfully arrested the male a short distance away, after he unsuccessfully attempted to car jack a vehicle from a third victim whose car was idling in a residential driveway. The male sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local area hospital.
Ricardo NEWELL, age 20 from Toronto is facing 17 charges including: Robbery, Possess Weapon for Committing Offence, Disguise with Intent, Use of Firearm During the Commission of an Offence, and Fail to Comply with Release Order.
He was held for a bail hearing.
Anyone with surveillance footage, dash-cam footage, or new information about this incident is asked to contact the Major Crime Robbery Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5355.
About the Provincial Carjacking Task Force (PCJTF):
As a result of the rising incidents of violence related to auto crimes across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), local police services have combined resources and established a Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF) to further co-ordinate law enforcement efforts in combating these crimes.
This collaborative approach aims to disrupt the networks responsible for violent and high-risk auto thefts and maximize enforcement efforts against criminal organizations.
Co-led by the Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police, the task force is a collaboration between police services from across the GTA, including York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service, Peel Regional Police, and other external agencies, including Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario.
Click here for more information about the PCJTF.
Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca and tipsters may be eligible for a $2,000 cash reward.
The information in this media release contains facts and circumstances that have been obtained from a police investigation. These allegations have yet to be proven in court.
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