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Three Quebec men have been arrested and charged following an attempted vehicle theft in Halton.
On Saturday, January 8th, just before 12:00 a.m., the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) was contacted by an Oakville resident who saw a male suspect in the driveway of their home examining a Lexus SUV.
Police attended the area and made multiple arrests in connection to the investigation.
22-year-old Gustavo Salazar of Anjou, 21-year-old Konstantinos Sotiropoulos of Laval, and 21-year-old Alexandre Doyon of Montreal have all been charged with the following:
- Theft over $5000
- Possession of an Automobile Master Key
- Possession of Break-In Instruments
All three suspects were held in custody pending a bail hearing.
There is an increase in relay and reprogramming vehicle theft cases. You can learn more about that here.
During the past year, the HRPS has seen a large volume of theft of high end sport utility vehicles. Suspects have used a relay or reprogramming methods to steal these vehicles, often using blank key fobs or automobile master keys.
During a reprograming theft, the suspect(s) forcefully gains entry to the vehicle. Once inside, the suspect(s) access the diagnostic port of the vehicle which allows them to reprogram a blank key fab to start and steal the vehicle.
The majority of vehicles being targeted include (but are not limited to):
- Honda CRV
- Lexus RX 350
- Toyota Highlander
- Ford F150
There are some measures that residents can take to decrease the chance of the vehicle being stolen:
- Park your vehicle in a locked garage
- Block the exit of a potential target vehicle with a second vehicle parked behind it
- Install and on-board diagnostic blocker/protector
- Install a steering wheel lock device
- Install a aftermarket GPS tracking device
- Install home security cameras on the exterior of the residence
Additional Tips:
- Always lock vehicle doors and close all windows
- With the colder weather approaching never leave your vehicle running with the keys in the vehicle
- Never leave a spare key inside any vehicle in the driveway
- Ignition/Fuel Kill switches
- Aftermarket car audio alarm
The HRPS is applying significant resources to investigate these occurrences. Crime prevention is a shared responsibility. Call 911 if you witness a crime in progress or if you see suspicious persons/vehicles in your neighbourhood.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2216
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
