‘Put your hands up’: Police share footage of Vaughan home invasion response, suspect vehicle identified

York Regional Police have identified a suspect vehicle and shared video footage of officers confronting a group of suspects during an armed home invasion in Vaughan on Christmas Eve.

The investigation into a group of men began when officers responded to a report of a home invasion in progress on December 24, 2023, at around 2 a.m. in the Forest Drive and Harmonia Crescent area.

Police said three masked suspects forced entry into the home and proceeded to assault and hold the occupants at gunpoint while demanding money. Investigators released footage of authorities encountering three of the suspects, which resulted in one of the officers discharging their firearm multiple times.

The video begins with a 911 recording of a caller claiming that someone entered the house and threatened to rob them. A suspect is then heard in the background telling the residents to “Get off the phone. Sit down! Don’t move… you guys go upstairs right now.”

“Where’s the money?” one suspect says. “That’s all I have,” the victim responds.

The footage then shows officers pursuing a suspicious vehicle fleeing the area with its lights off. Later, when police arrived at the home, the video showed an officer saying, “Come out with your hands up. Do it now!”

Video

Following the incident, police said one suspect was taken into custody, and two fled the scene. A loaded firearm was dropped by one of the suspects and seized. No one was seriously injured.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) invoked its mandate due to the interaction with York Regional Police.

In May, authorities announced that five men were arrested in connection with the home invasion and faced a combined 37 criminal offences.

In an update on Thursday, police identified a grey Ford F150 as a vehicle of interest in the area at the time of the incident. Photos of the truck were released, and authorities are appealing for witnesses to come forward.