A day after a person was shot during a brazen mid-morning robbery at an east London business, more than two dozen charges have been laid against four men from the Greater Toronto Area.
The men were arrested near Woodstock roughly an hour and a half after the robbery on Thursday at London Gold Buyer. According to London police, men, at least one armed with a gun, walked into the business on Highbury Avenue north of Brydges Street around 9:45 a.m. and proceeded to rob that place.
One person was shot, while another suffered blunt force trauma during the violent incident. They were both taken to hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries.
The robbery led to a flurry of police activity in the area throughout the morning, with the business being cordoned off and multiple officers, including those with the K9 unit, searching the area. For a time, the public was asked to avoid the area of Highbury Avenue between Brydges Street and Langmuir Avenue.
In announcing the four arrests, police reassured they were not looking for any additional suspects and that there was no longer a threat to public safety.
Three men from Toronto, aged 19, 20, and 21, and a 21-year-old North York man have been charged with armed robbery, disguise with intent, occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
The 19-year-old is additionally charged with ten other offences including, pointing a firearm, discharging a firearm with intent to wound and endanger life, aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm, and resisting arrest.
The North York man has also been charged with pointing a firearm, using a firearm during the commission of an indictable offence, carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest, and failure to comply with a release order.
The 20-year-old man is additionally charged with dangerous driving and resisting arrest.
All four are scheduled to appear in London court in relation to the charges on Friday.
Police continue to ask anyone with information about the robbery to give them a call at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).