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Teen arrested after attempted carjacking in Etobicoke, 2 other men on the loose

Toronto police are looking for two men after an attempted carjacking in Etobicoke on Tuesday night. One man is in custody. No one was harmed. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock - image credit)
Toronto police are looking for two men after an attempted carjacking in Etobicoke on Tuesday night. One man is in custody. No one was harmed. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock - image credit)

Toronto police say they have a teen in custody after an attempted carjacking in Etobicoke on Tuesday night.

Passersby held the 16-year-old boy down until police arrived to arrest him. No one was injured.

It happened in the parking lot of a big box store near Islington Avenue and Bergamot Avenue, north of Rexdale Boulevard. Police were called at about 5:50 p.m.

According to police, a woman was approached by three men who robbed her of her purse and demanded the keys to her car. She screamed for help and passersby came to her aid, police said.

Const. David Hopkinson, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, said the accused was caught by people in the parking lot while the other two got away. He said one of them dropped a gun. Officers recovered the firearm.

In a news release issued Wednesday, police said the handgun they recovered was in fact a replica.

Police searched the area for the other two men. Investigators said Wednesday that clothing worn by the other two males involved was also located.

The boy now faces charges of robbery with a firearm and disguise with intent, police say.

Hopkinson said he could not confirm if the incident was linked to a carjacking on Monday night, when Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner was robbed of his vehicle.

That incident happened in the area of Islington Avenue and The Queensway. Marner was not harmed.

Hopkinson said police investigate all carjackings for possible links to one another.

At a news conference earlier on Tuesday, Insp. Rich Harris of the Hold Up Squad said Toronto police have seen 60 carjackings in the city this year, compared to 59 in all of 2021.

"Suspects target high-value vehicles and these are nearly always sold for profit," he said.

Harris said police have made more than 20 carjacking arrests this year.