Teen arrested in July abduction and robbery faces more charges
Ottawa police say a 16-year-old boy charged last month during an investigation into a series of abductions and robberies is now facing more charges.
The teen, who cannot be identified due to his age, was originally charged with one count each of robbery, kidnapping, forcible confinement and conspiracy following an incident in late July.
On Monday, he was charged with an additional count of each of those offences in connection with an Aug. 3 incident in which a boy was allegedly forced to rob a convenience store.
The teen was also charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm, police said. He was expected to appear in court Monday.
Shopping mall abduction
The original set of charges stemmed from a July 22 incident. A boy under the age of 18 had arranged to meet someone at the South Keys Shopping Centre, police said, when he encountered four males instead of one.
They told the boy to get inside their car, a silver Honda Accord, and then drove around the shopping centre and to various places in Ottawa's south end. He was robbed of his phone and cash and was "repeatedly assaulted," police said.
The boy suffered minor injuries and was eventually dropped off "in a secluded commercial area off Rideau Road," police said. He managed to flag down a passing motorist for help.
Police charged the 16-year-old boy in connection with that incident in late August after he turned himself in.
Convenience store robbery
The five new charges against the teen are in connection with an Aug. 3 convenience store robbery on the 1000 block of Pleasant Park Road, near St. Laurent Boulevard.
Shortly after midnight, police said, a lone boy armed with a knife had swiped cash and cigarettes from a Quickie convenience store and fled to a waiting car — also a silver Honda Accord.
As officers investigated, the robbery suspect called police, claiming he'd been compelled to commit the robbery by three males inside the car.
The occupants took the cash and cigarettes, then dropped the boy off on Hawthorne Road. He had suffered minor cuts after being attacked with a knife, police said, and was not charged.
One suspect left
The Ottawa Police Service's robbery unit has been investigating three alleged robberies that also involved abductions between July 22 and Aug. 7.
Police said Monday there was only one suspect left to be identified in the three cases: a young man, approximately 18 years old, who was allegedly involved in an Aug. 8 assault near a baseball diamond on Lorry Greenberg Drive.
That morning, police said, a boy encountered three males parked in a silver Honda Accord near the diamond.
The males "left the area" with the boy, who was assaulted, choked and stabbed in the leg with a knife, police said. He was also robbed of his phone.
The boy was then dropped off on Bank Street near Queensdale Avenue, and he went to hospital to have his stab wound treated.
Police say the lone remaining suspect had dark hair, some facial growth, and was wearing large black-framed prescription glasses.
Anyone with information can call the robbery unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5116, or Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
