Suspect in theft of police K9 vehicle identified, facing slew of charges
Posted August 9, 2022 5:27 pm.
Last Updated August 9, 2022 5:40 pm.
Toronto police have revealed the identity of a man charged in a wild incident that saw him allegedly break into a store, steal a police K9 vehicle with two dogs inside it, crash the police vehicle in North York, and then try and carjack his way to freedom.
In a release Tuesday, police said Zenon Klein-Oram, 32, of no fixed address, is facing a blizzard of charges including escaping lawful custody and flight while pursued by a peace officer.
Police say the suspect kicked off the chaotic string of events on Monday at around 4 a.m. when he allegedly threw a rock through the glass door of a business in the Yonge Street and Brookdale Avenue area and stole a large quantity of items.
An officer from the Toronto Police Dog Services unit quickly arrived on scene and located the man, who made a mad dash for it. That prompted the officer to release his trained dog. With the animal’s help, the officer was able to arrest the man and place him in handcuffs.
Somehow though, he was able to break free and ultimately drive away in the police vehicle, with two other police dogs still inside.
With officers in pursuit, the man eventually crashed the stolen police vehicle in the Keele Street and Lawrence Avenue West area. The dogs weren’t hurt.
Sounds like enough trouble for one night, right? Not so, say police, who allege the man then ran from the crashed cop car and tried to carjack a pick-up truck that was stopped at an intersection.
The pick-up truck driver was able to drive away, police said, but the undeterred suspect then tried to take control of a nearby minivan.
Police allege he smashed the driver-side window and began to pull the driver out. But his frantic run for freedom ended when officers arrived on scene and took him into custody.
