Brazen daylight car theft caught on video in Brampton
A Brampton family, whose car was stolen on Sunday in a brazen car theft that was caught on video, feel that police aren't doing enough to assist them.
The incident happened on Sept. 27 around 3 p.m., when a man was showing his family’s car to two individuals who had reached out after seeing the ad on Autotrader. Because of recent car theft incidents, he invited some of his friends over so that the interaction was supervised.
His sister, Sanjot, who does not want her last name shared said two men arrived driving a Mercedes S550. “If you know cars, you know that’s an expensive car so we didn’t expect that this would happen.”
But Sanjot said as soon as the men arrived, one of them forced his way into the driver’s seat to inspect the car and repeatedly asked to test drive the car which her brother didn’t initially allow. Her brother was also leaning on the SUV so as to keep a close distance to the car.
He agreed to let the man test drive the car and personally inserted the key while his friends were about to get into the backseat of the car before the man in the driver’s seat quickly took off.
“He slammed the door, reversed like a maniac and speeds off behind the Mercedes,” she said. “They could’ve killed someone, it’s a residential area, there could’ve been kids.”
Sanjot said her brother and friends tried to chase them down in their cars but they had gotten too far away by then. They found a traffic constable who took a report and said someone from Peel Regional Police would be in touch soon.
However, Sanjot said no one has gotten in touch despite the family having ample video footage and several tips indicating the identities of the men. She then posted the surveillance footage on Instagram which quickly began making the rounds on social media.
Sanjot said she called Peel police several times in the last 24 hours and was told yesterday that the constable assigned to their case was not available and that she should call again later.
Media relations officer Const. Danny Martini said if an officer is already assigned to the case, it would imply that it has been reported, and therefore it would be under investigation.
Once the officer is working they will continue their investigation, the family can also reach out at that time by calling or emailing, she said.
“We’re pissed off and we don’t feel safe. I feel helpless. I feel like I’m doing [the police’s] job,” she said.
After posting the video, Sanjot said they’ve received a lot of support but also a lot of backlash because of fraudulent carjacking incidents in the area.
Earlier this month a 20-year-old Brampton man was charged with six criminal charges including robbery and dangerous operation of a stolen motor vehicle.
In August, Peel police recovered more than $4.2 million in stolen vehicles after taking down a car theft ring and charging 21 people.
“We feel unsafe in our own home, they’ve seen our home, they know our address, they’ve seen our cars, these people have our property and the police aren’t doing anything about it," said Sanjot.
Join the conversation Load comments