2 men charged in armed carjacking of Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner
Two men face multiple charges for a pair of armed carjackings last year, police said Friday, including one that victimized Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner.
A 24-year-old man from Brampton was charged with six offences, including two counts each of robbery with a firearm, disguise with intent and failure to comply with bail conditions, Toronto police said in a news release.
Meanwhile, a 21-year-old Toronto man was charged with robbery with a firearm and disguise with intent.
A third suspect in the carjackings is still outstanding. At the time of the alleged crimes, he was wearing dark clothing and a mask, police said.
On the evening of May 16, Marner and another person were getting into his 2021 black Land Rover in the area of The Queensway and Islington Avenue in Etobicoke when a Honda Civic pulled up and blocked their path.
Two men armed with handguns got out of the Honda and told Marner to hand over his keys, police said. A third man armed with a knife demanded the other victim give him their cellphone.
Two of the suspects got into the Land Rover and drove away, while a third got back into the Honda and also left the scene.
The other carjacking happened about a month earlier on April 17, in the area of The Queensway and The West Mall. The victim was sitting in a parked 2020 Audi R8 when a dark grey sedan pulled up and prevented the victim from driving away, police said.
An armed suspect then demanded the keys to the Audi and the victim fled from the area, according to police. The suspect drove away in the sports car while the driver of the grey sedan followed.
Marner's Land Rover was eventually recovered, police said, while the Audi R8 remains missing.
Both of the accused were arrested on March 8, when officers of the Hold Up Squad carried out two search warrants and found "items of evidentiary value related to the investigation."
They were scheduled to appear in court on the same day.
