10 arrested after series of armed TTC robberies
Posted July 28, 2015 12:21 pm.
Last Updated July 28, 2015 1:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ten people face a total of 140 charges after a four-month long police investigation into a series of armed TTC robberies.
Dubbed Project Castle, the investigation was launched after five TTC booths were robbed over a six-week period starting March 7.
Staff Insp. Mike Earl said a series of raids were conducted where a number of stolen TTC passes were found. It’s believed the suspects were selling the passes, as well as TTC tokens and tickets, online.
“The TTC keeps good records of their passes… so we were able to track these things down,” he explained.
TTC CEO Andy Byford said the arrests is news they have been waiting to hear.
“For too long these robberies have been going on,” TTC CEO Andy Byford said. “It is appalling that this kind of thing should happen. If anyone out there thinks that they can rob TTC premises with impunity, then they are wrong.”
Police said the same group of people are believed to be responsible for 7 other robberies between March 7 and May 28 – including gas stations, doughnut shops, a Scotiabank and a Cash Money store.
Each robbery was orchestrated by three or more people every time, and in every case the suspects were armed.
“It is good news to get these individuals off the streets,” Staff Insp. Mike Earl told the media.
Earl said it was the last gas station robbery on Kingston Road at the end of May that gave them a big break in the case.
“The suspects fled in a motor vehicle and lost control, due to their due haste and excitement of receiving whatever monies they got, and smashed into a tree,” he explained.
The suspects ran from the scene but enough evidence was left behind to allow police to make a connection with the other robberies.
Police believe the suspects are involved with other robberies that happened before March 7 and hope the public will come forward with any information which could help in the investigation.
Earl said some of the suspects do have ties to street gangs &ndash specifically those in the Pelham Park area – but that they are just loose ties.
Among the 10 people arrested, three were young offenders.
