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Angela Liberatore recalls hearing a sound that no neighbor wants to hear, especially on Christmas Eve.
“It was about 2am and I heard some sirens. Then they started getting louder and louder,” Vaughan, Ontario Residents recalled the scene in the early hours of December 24, 2023.
When Liberato opened her front door to see what was going on, she said all she saw was the remnants of a break-in at a nearby home.
“I saw a police officer carrying a wounded man out of the garage,” she said, describing the attacker.
York Regional Police on Thursday Distressing audio released Last year, police responded to a call about a home invasion at the intersection of Forest Drive and Harmonia Crescent in which the attacker could be heard giving orders to the victim.
“Hang up the phone and sit down! Don’t move!” said a man’s voice.
A few minutes later, one of the suspects said, “Where’s the money? Where’s the money?”
“That’s all I know,” the victim responded.
York Regional Police said officers received a call just before 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve last year reporting a burglary in progress.
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“Once on scene, officers observed three males forcing entry into the residence. They were armed with firearms. One of our officers interacted with the suspects and discharged their weapons,” Officer James Dickson said
No one was seriously injured, and police managed to arrest three suspected attackers that day, although two of them tried to escape, Dickson said.
So far, five men have been arrested.
York Regional Police say five men are facing a total of 37 charges in connection with a series of home invasions in Vaughan last year.
Image source: York Regional Police
Ali Mohammed, 26, and Kesworth Bassaragh, 32, both of Toronto, and Lorrin Wolfe, 33, Jamie Lee Tootoosis, 36, and Elcee Jimmy, 35, all of Saskatchewan, face a total of 37 charges, including armed robbery.
They also seized three weapons, including a sawn-off shotgun and a gun that the attacker dropped as he fled, according to police.
York Regional Police said the sawed-off shotgun was one of three weapons seized during the home invasion.
Image source: York Regional Police
A black sedan was seen fleeing the area at the time of the incident, and police said investigators learned the sedan was stolen during an armed carjacking in Calgary a month earlier.
In their latest update on Thursday, authorities Appeal to the public Learn about new vehicles that interest you.
A grey Ford F150 pickup truck was reportedly in the area at the time of the incident.
In an update on the incident, authorities said the grey Ford pickup truck is currently being treated as a suspect vehicle.
Image source: York Regional Police
“We didn’t know what was going on, we were stunned,” Liberatore said.
Another local resident, Aldo Canini, told Global News that his family has become hyper-vigilant of their surroundings since hearing about the incident.
“It definitely makes you think about safety … and safety can sometimes be an illusion,” he said.
The incident comes at a time when crimes of a similar nature are on the rise.
York Regional Police say they expect burglaries to increase 88 per cent from 2022 to 2023.
Due to the violent nature of these crimes, Dickson urged those in similar situations to never engage their attackers or try to resist — especially if they are armed.
Instead, you should strive to be the best witness you can be, Dickson says. Remember as many details as possible, and as many facial and vehicle descriptions as possible.
“You never know how important a little piece of information can be to investigators later on,” he said.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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