Police in St. Catharines made Sunday afternoon arrests in connection with more than 100 LCBO store thefts, including from outlets in Guelph.
The suspects are believed to have cumulatively taken more than $300,000 worth of alcohol.
As described in a police news release, Guelph officers came across two men sleeping in a stolen car at an address in St. Catherines. With assistance from Niagara Regional Police, the vehicle was blocked in.
The men were woken, after which the driver began driving forward and backward, repeatedly striking marked and unmarked cruisers. In turn, police broke the car’s windows and took the males into custody.
Both allegedly provided police with fake names before their true identities were determined.
A 27-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, both of no fixed address, were charged with possessing stolen property over $5,000, two counts of possessing stolen property under $5,000, obstructing police, possessing identity documents and breaching court orders.
The younger man was further charged with dangerous driving and has outstanding warrants in 10 other jurisdictions.
“This investigation and the resulting arrests were made possible through the cooperative efforts of our members and partner agencies,” said Guelph police chief Gord Cobey in the release. “This investigation highlights the value to the community of our break enter auto theft unit.”
