Police in the Niagara Region are searching for a group of armed individuals linked to a home invasion robbery.
Authorities report that five masked suspects, armed with guns, showed up at an apartment close to Lake Street and Welland Avenue in St. Catharines just before 4 a. m. on Friday.
The suspects arrived in an Acura TLX that had been reported stolen from Mississauga.
“Four of the suspects forced entry into the residence and stole personal possessions from the victims,” investigators explained in a press release issued on Sunday. “The fifth suspect remained in the stolen vehicle.”
Officers say they reached the scene within minutes and caught up with the suspects as they tried to escape.
“The suspect who stayed in the stolen motor vehicle rammed two police cruisers, while the other suspects fled on foot,” detectives explained. “The suspect from the vehicle was arrested on scene.”
Authorities have charged 18-year-old Joshua Balkaran of Elmira with 11 offences, including four counts of robbery with a firearm, four counts of forcible confinement, two counts of break and enter, as well as mischief over $5,000 and assaulting a police officer with a weapon.
Police confirmed that none of the apartment’s occupants were harmed.
“Detectives believe this to be a targeted incident and there is no ongoing risk to the safety of the public,” authorities said. “Four suspects remain outstanding and were captured on CCTV fleeing westbound on foot near Welland Avenue and Lake Street.”
If anyone has information about this incident, they are encouraged to contact police.
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