

Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





A weekend bank robbery that drew a swarm of tactical officers to Etobicoke and resulted in one suspect being shot and critically injured by police started out as a kidnapping, sources tell CP24.

Officers responded to a TD branch near The Queensway and Kipling Avenue on Feb. 20 at around 7:45 a.m. about 15 minutes before the bank opened.

But sources told CP24 the chain of events started earlier when a TD Bank employee was kidnapped from her home in Peel Region at gunpoint and ordered to take the suspects to the bank and let them in.

After taking the employee to the bank, a suspect forced her and another worker at the bank into the vault where they were able to hit a distress code to alert police, sources said.

When the suspect left the bank, he found officers waiting, so he went back in to grab the two employees and walked back out with them. The employees then ran toward the officers and an exchange of gunfire ensued, the sources said.

A 30-year-old suspect was shot once in the torso outside the bank when multiple officers opened fire, investigators have said.

A second suspect is still outstanding. He is described as a white male between 40 and 50 years old. He was driving a compact silver vehicle.

Toronto police have described the incident as a ‘bank robbery that went bad,’ but would not confirm the details about the kidnapping and hostage taking.

The province’s Special Investigations Unit -- an arm’s-length agency that investigates any incidents where police are involved in a death or serious injury – has invoked its mandate and is looking into the circumstances of the shooting.

An SIU spokesperson said Monday that the agency is continuing to analyze evidence and look for witnesses as they investigate the incident. However the SIU would not confirm the details of events leading up to the shooting.

The suspect who was shot is currently recovering in hospital, the SIU said.

The robbery caused a nearby Ikea store to be placed in a hold-and-secure order for several hours until officers finally cleared the area at round 11:30 a.m.