Police say they have arrested four men and are searching for one more in connection with a number of bank robberies across Ontario that spanned nearly two years and netted over $2 million.
Eight banks were robbed between Dec. 8, 2022, and March 16, 2024, within areas policed by the OPP, Barrie police, Belleville police, Durham police, Niagara police and York police, the OPP said in a news release Tuesday.
The robberies involved two or three people entering the banks before they closed, the release said. They wore different masks and clothing during each robbery.
The OPP released security camera footage from a robbery in Ferversham, Ont., on May 19, 2023, that shows a person entering the bank wearing a cowboy hat and a white covering over their face and holding out a gun. They are followed into the bank by another person, who is wearing a ghost-face mask.
The person wearing the cowboy hat is seen putting their gun down on a counter to rummage through a bank drawer. Both people later leave the building carrying a red duffle bag.
At least one handgun was displayed during all the robberies but no one was injured, the OPP said. In the last six robberies, bank employees were bound.
Witnesses ‘endured significant emotional distress’
Around 20 people were in the banks at the time of the robberies, OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns said during a news conference Tuesday.
“Though no physical injuries occurred, the individuals caught up in these terrifying efforts have endured significant emotional distress and trauma,” Kearns said.
The OPP said the group was responsible for more than $2 million in reported losses. The money has not been recovered yet, they said.
Kearns said individual police services investigated the robberies within their jurisdiction but soon realized they were not isolated incidents.
“Rather, these interconnected robberies pointed to a larger, more co-ordinated operation,” he said.
The OPP Criminal Investigation Branch got involved in the investigation to boost co-ordination between the police services, he said.
Investigators used patterns to identify similar robberies in other jurisdictions, Kearns said. The police investigation “thwarted” a ninth bank robbery, he said.
On June 21 of this year, OPP arrested three men during an attempted robbery in Field, Ont.
A 25-year-old man from Oshawa, a 24-year-old man from Ajax and a 32-year-old man from Coburg, Ont., have each been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, one count of robbery with violence and one count of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.
The 32-year-old man also faces several firearms charges, as well as four counts each of forcible confinement and disguise with intent.
A fourth man, a 29-year-old from Whitby, was arrested in Vaughan by OPP and York police on Sept. 25. He faces several firearms charges and one count each of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, disguise with intent, robbery with violence and forcible confinement.
32-year-old man from Ajax remains wanted
Police said a fifth man, a 32-year-old from Ajax, was charged but remains wanted. OPP Det.-Insp. Brian McDermott said the man is not believed to be in Ontario.
He has been charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, forcible confinement, disguise with intent and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, as well as several firearms-related charges.
Anyone who knows his whereabouts is asked not to approach him and to contact police immediately, McDermott said.
The five accused men face a total of 53 charges.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact their local police, the OPP or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.