York police charge four boys in $1.2M gold, silver heist

York regional police say four boys between the ages of 15 and 17 are facing a number of charges in connection to the botched heist of more than $1.2 million worth of gold and silver.

In a release, police say on the afternoon of December 10, 2022, three of the masked suspects entered a precious metals store on Bloor Street in Toronto and robbed it at gunpoint while a fourth suspect waited in a getaway car.

But they wouldn’t get far.

“Members of the York Regional Police Hold-Up Unit were in the area as part of an ongoing investigation into the same suspects,” police explained.

“The officers contained the vehicle, which was determined to be stolen, and after a brief foot pursuit, they arrested all four suspects without incident.”

Upon further investigation, police say they recovered a loaded handgun and $1,295,000 worth of gold and silver.

No injuries were reported.

Police believe the teen suspects, who can’t be named, are part of a crime group that has been involved in a number of robberies at pharmacies, currency-conversion businesses and precious metal shops since November 2022.

“One 17-year-old is also charged in seven unrelated commercial robberies which took place in York, Toronto, Peel and Hamilton, while one 15-year-old is also charged in two of those incidents,” police explained.

In total, the four suspects, two 15-year-olds and two 17-year-olds are facing 40 charges, including robbery with a firearm, disguise with intent and possessing a loaded restricted gun.