The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect in a recent string of vehicle thefts from dealerships in Oakville and Georgetown.
Police are investigating four similar style thefts with the same suspect involved. The first theft took place on September 8, 2020, and the most recent took place today (September 16) in Oakville (three of the thefts have taken place in Oakville and one in Georgetown).
Typically, the suspect will visit a dealership and state that they would like to purchase a vehicle and request a test drive. Due to COVID-19 policies, on three occasions the suspect has been allowed to test drive the vehicle alone, and leaves the dealership without returning. On one occasion when the suspect was accompanied on the test drive by an employee, a secondary vehicle became involved and police believe a collision was intentionally initiated. Once the employee exited the vehicle to inspect the damage, both vehicles fled the scene.
Investigation has shown the phone number and identification provided to dealerships to be fraudulent.
All the dealerships targeted sell used Mercedes vehicles.
The suspect is described as male, brown skin, approximately 5'10", 160 lbs with a thin build, short black hair. He has been seen wearing a white face mask.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Omar Nadim of the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2278.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. "See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers" at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
What You Can Do
We are actively encouraging dealerships to remain vigilant and to report suspicious activity in/around their facilities to police. If you witness a crime in progress, or if the above-referenced suspect attends your dealership, you are asked to call 911.
There are precautionary measures you can take to reduce the likelihood of having a vehicle taken for a test drive and not returned to your lot:
- If an individual provides you with a contact phone number, call it before they leave the lot to verify that it is valid;
- If an individual requests a test drive, charge a security deposit to their credit card before they leave the lot; and
- Consider asking for suitable collateral before handing over vehicle keys to a patron.
- Be aware of someone who arrives on foot or is dropped off for a test drive, with no other means of leaving.