Suspect in violent Toronto bank robbery arrested; police seek second

One suspect has been arrested in connection to a brazen and deadly Toronto bank robbery, police said on Tuesday while appealing for more help from the public in capturing a second suspect.

Staff Insp. Mike Earl of the hold-up squad confirmed that 26-year-old Andre Palmer, of Brampton, was arrested and charged in connection to the weekend robbery, during which two people were shot and injured.

A second suspect remains at large, and Earl believes the public could hold the key to tracking him down.

“In a serious event like this, a horrific robbery like this… we reach out to the public and hope they public takes it in, digests it and steps forward to call police,” Earl said, in an interview aired on CP24.

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Police previously released video of the robbery, in which two masked suspects "took over" a TD Bank on St. Clair Avenue West.

The video shows two armed suspects jump the counter and demand money from a bank teller. A bank customer can be seen struggling with one of the suspects before he is shaken free and thrown to the ground.

A bank teller and a customer were shot during the melee. Police say both continue to recover from their injuries in hospital.

Both suspects are described as black and were wearing hoodies and baseball caps during the robbery. Police say the outstanding suspect was wearing a black hoodie with a white "8" on the left chest and a black Chicago White Sox cap at the time of the robbery. He was armed with a silver handgun.

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Earl told reporters that forensic evidence was found in a recovered stolen vehicle that had been linked to the, which led investigators to Palmer. He added that the suspect possessed items that linked him back to the bank robbery, giving police the confidence to lay charges.

The brazen robbery led the Canadian Bankers Association to issue a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. Earl said police had received as many as 50 tips from the public, all of which would be reviewed.

It is clear that police believe providing assistance to authorities is the proper way to help in the case of an armed robbery.

The National Post reports that gunfire erupted during the robbery after a customer tried to tackle one of the suspects. The other robber reportedly opened fire, striking a bank teller in the leg. The customer then chased the suspects outside and was shot in the abdomen.

“Our recommendation to the public is, very seriously, to co-operate with someone who points a gun at you. If somebody is demanding your money or your watch, co-operate with them because we don’t want people getting hurt,” Earl said during a previous press conference, according to the Post.