North York Mirror

Police are alerting the public to three daytime home invasions where residents, including a toddler, were tied up.

The incidents occurred in North York and Scarborough during a five-day period, police said.

At 10:30 a.m. Aug. 10, two men posing as gas company workers went to a house in the Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue area and told the homeowner they were there because of a smell of gas.

After the 49-year-old female resident let the men in, they pulled out a firearm and a Taser, tied up the woman and her 47-year-old husband and ransacked the home.

The suspects stole jewelry, cash, identification and a grey 2010 BMW X3 SUV with Ontario licence plate AJJJ 624.

One suspect is white, 30 to 40 years old and about 5’9” tall. The other is white, about six-feet tall with a goatee and a stocky build. Both wore blue construction overalls.

“The victims in this home invasion were not injured, but they were left tied up for a significant amount of time,” Staff Insp. Mike Earl told reporters during a Friday morning news conference at police headquarters, Aug. 17. “We also want to ensure that the public is aware that they should be checking for identification, ensuring who they’re opening the door to before they allow strangers in.”

At 3 p.m. Aug. 12, two masked men slid open a patio door at a home on Parsell Square near Neilson Road and Sheppard Avenue and tied up a man, a woman and their three-year-old child.

“The mother and the father also had duct tape placed over their mouths,” Earl said. “The individuals threatened to kill the three-year-old child if they did not comply.”

The family was watching TV when the bandits entered.

One suspect was armed with a handgun. The thugs fled with jewelry and cash.

One suspect is white, 25 to 35, 6’2” tall with short black hair and a slim build. He wore a black baseball hat, a light grey tracksuit and gloves.

The other is white, 25 to 35 and 5’3” to 5’5” tall and also wore gloves.

At 1:30 p.m. Aug. 14, three young men entered an apartment at 25 Cougar Ct. near Markham Road and Eglinton Avenue and tied up and assaulted a 64-year-old woman and her 23-year-old grandson.

The suspects ransacked the apartment for about an hour before they fled.

Police believe a key was used to get into the unit. No weapon was seen.

Police released security camera images of one of the suspects.

He is described as black, 5’8” to 5’10” tall and wore dark clothing.

Another suspect is black, 5’8” to 5’11” tall and wore a black and white hijab scarf and a white kurta.

The third is black and 5’8” to 5’11” tall.

“Their faces were not recognizable during the home invasion because they were wearing disguises,” Earl said.

Police don’t believe the three home invasions are connected.

“There are so many dissimilarities,” Earl said.

But there are some similarities: all happened in the middle of the day while residents were home. All victims were tied up, and police don’t know why they were targeted.

“There doesn’t seem to be any reason to be targeting these individuals,” Earl said. “They don’t seem to be people that are involved in criminal activity.”

There were 53 home invasions in the city so far this year, the same number as this time last year.

Police want residents to be more vigilant. “If you see strangers in neighbours’ backyards contact the police, strangers with faces disguised in hallways contact the police,” Earl said.

Anyone with information on the home invasions is asked to call the holdup squad at 416-808-7350 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).