Toronto police have released surveillance video of a violent robbery at a Rexdale jewelry store this past spring where the suspects allegedly made off with $750,000 worth of stolen goods.
It happened on May 4 in the area of Finch Avenue West and Highway 27 at approximately 12:50 pm, according to the timestamp on the video released Friday.
In a news release, investigators said four men who had their identities concealed with masks and construction vests attended the unidentified store and waited for an employee to open the door.
When an employee did open the door, all four men rushed into the store, the police said.
The video appears to show one of the suspects frantically dragging the employee through a gated security door before dropping him and running further into the store.
As the suspect runs out of frame, the employee is then dragged by one of his accomplices as another appears to draw a firearm from his waistband and points it at him. At that time, the police said, the gun-wielding suspect made demands for cash and jewelry.
The suspects then appear to ransack the store, grabbing display cases full of jewelry and placing them into duffle bags.
At one point, one of the two employees in the store – who the police have blurred the identities of — was kicked multiple times by one of the suspects.
The suspects eventually fled the scene in a stolen vehicle with a “large” quantity of jewelry, which police told CTV News Toronto was valued at $750,000.
The employees suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
According to police, investigators with the service’s Hold Up Squad were able to identify one of the suspects and, with the assistance of 23 Division, executed two search warrants on Oct. 5.
Those searches allegedly yielded clothing worn by the suspect during the robbery.
As a result, 18-year-old Johnathan Prevost of Richmond Hill was arrested and charged with a number of offenses, including robbery with a firearm, disguise with intent, two counts of forcible confinement, and two counts of assault with a weapon.
The three other suspects in the video remain unidentified, police said. Images of the suspects from the surveillance video were published Friday in an effort to identify them.
“If located, do not approach, call 911 immediately,” police said.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact the police at 416-808-7350 or Crime Stoppers.