The victim of an attempted car theft in Etobico said yesterday that her situation could have been much worse if passers-by had not intervened and that the incident made her sad and not furious.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, had just parked her car at Walmart Super Center near Islington Avenue and Bergamot Avenue on Tuesday when three men approached her and demanded her keys.
Her bag was snatched and a fierce fight ensued, in which she was knocked to the ground, police said. She started screaming loudly.
The suspects then took her keys, but were unable to get into the car. Two of them escaped on foot, and the third fell to the ground while fleeing. A nearby witness called 911 and officers quickly arrived and arrested the suspect, who fell.
A copy of a pistol was found nearby, as well as clothes allegedly worn by the other two suspects during the robbery, police said.
“I just want to thank everyone who stopped, because if people had just kept driving past them, I think it would have ended differently,” the woman told CP24. “Maybe they would hurt me more, or take my keys, or I don’t know. I just don’t know what could happen. But I just thank everyone who stopped and everyone who offered to help. “
She said a number of vehicles had slowed down the car park when they found out what was happening and that some passers-by had actually chased after the suspects.
A 16-year-old boy from Toronto is accused of robbery with a firearm and disguise with intent. Police are still trying to identify the other two suspects.
This is the latest in a series of car thefts in the city that have recently attracted increasing public attention.
One day before the Walmart incident, Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner was abducted from a car in front of a movie theater.
The major incident prompted Toronto police to announce a public increase in car thefts. Insp. Richard Harris of the Detention Department told reporters that the city has already seen more car thefts this year than the 59 reported throughout 2021. Tuesday’s incident was 61.
MORE SADNESS THAN ANGERED
It is not clear what is behind the trend, although it is believed that the main motive is profit, and police note that many of the suspects are quite young.
Speaking to CP24 on Wednesday about her experience, the woman, who is battling her attackers in front of Walmart’s parking lot on Tuesday, said she felt sad and disappointed with the incident, not angry.
“It saddened me,” she said. “When I looked into the eyes of the man who came to me, it was as if he looked so young and even so soft, and if nothing else, I felt sad. They are children. “
The woman said the incident made her wonder what was going on in society, which made young children make bad choices.
“I work with children and I see that there is so much potential in young children and they can be what they choose to be. And it just makes me sad that these kids chose that way. ”
Although she described herself as shocked rather than scared, she said she was worried about what might have happened if another family member had been attacked.
“I think I was more scared when I told other people just because she could be my daughter,” she said.
Asked what she would say to her attackers, she said she would make them “make better choices for themselves”.
“If they don’t catch you this time, they’ll catch you next time,” she said. “It’s just a bad path to follow.”
She said she understood that many people come from difficult homes, but added that everyone has the potential for good.
“They have so much, so much they could do with their lives, and I just hope people just use their skills and just work to improve. You know, don’t get into that. “
– With a report by Steve Ryan of CP24
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