

Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





Toronto police say they have arrested 10 people in connection with a dozen robberies that have occurred since March, including five armed holdups of TTC fare collectors.

Two gas stations, two donut shops, a convenience store, a Scotiabank branch and a payday loan outlet were also robbed during the nearly three month crime spree.

The victims were always approached by a group of men sporting masks and brandishing real or replica handguns, Staff Insp. Mike Earl said at a news conference Tuesday morning. All robberies occurred between March 7 and May 28.

After an extensive investigation dubbed “Project Castle,” police executed ten warrants and arrested all suspects on July 23. Earl said police recovered four handguns, two replica handguns and stolen TTC Metropasses, which police believe the group was selling at a slight discount.

Three of the accused are young offenders. All 10 suspects will appear in court in Scarborough on Wednesday for bail hearings.

Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the case as investigators believe the suspects may be linked to even more crimes.

“It is our belief that these individuals are responsible for further robberies prior to March 7, 2015,” Earl said. “We’re hoping that the public can assist through Crime Stoppers in linking these individuals to other robberies.”

Earl said police linked the TTC robberies with other retail holdups after thieves hit both the Donlands TTC station and a nearby food store on O’Connor Drive on April 28.

They experienced another breakthrough on May 28, when after suspects struck three different locations, they allegedly lost control of their getaway car, crashing it into a tree in Durham Region, Earl said.

Police seized the abandoned car and examined it for evidence.

TTC CEO Andy Byford was also at Tuesday’s news conference and called the collector booth robberies “appalling.”

“It was our CCTV camera system that provided compelling evidence for Insp. Earl and his team,” Byford said.

Byford said the TTC has taken steps to keep their employees and commuters safe with new security measures.

Surveillance camera coverage in stations, buses and streetcars have been improved and reinforced glass was installed around collector booths. The TTC has also taken steps to increase the visibility of police and transit enforcement officers on its properties.

Byford said some of the fare collectors who were held up at gunpoint have since returned to work, but others are still off work and receiving support.

“You don’t come to work expecting to have a gun pointed at you,” he said.

Earl said some of the accused had connections to street gangs, while others had limited or no known involvement in crime prior to these incidents.

The 10 accused, who hail from Toronto, Innisfil, Stoufville, Mississauga and Pickering, face a total of 144 charges, including armed robbery with a firearm, wearing a disguise with intent and theft over $5,000.