A liquor store heist in Kitchener has captured the attention of Ontario’s premier.
Doug Ford was in Inglewood on Wednesday for a news conference, during which he brought up a weekend theft at a local LCBO and called those responsible a “brazen bunch of crooks.”
“We got to catch these guys and throw them in jail,” Ford said.
Video of the theft incident has gone viral on social media, showing multiple men filling various bags with dozens of liquor bottles and walking out of the store.
A spokesperson for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) confirmed that Ford reached out directly to WRPS Chief Mark Crowell to discuss the liquor store theft, which occurred on Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park Plaza and involved six male suspects who fled in a dark-coloured SUV.
Police said it was largely scotch that was stolen, valued at around $8,000, and they released photos of the suspects on Wednesday afternoon.
“This was a brazen, coordinated, and organized theft committed on such a scale that the items taken are obviously not for personal consumption,” reads an email statement from WRPS.
“The suspects showed little concern for the safety or wellness of staff and patrons inside the store, and we are currently reviewing evidence, including video and photos, to identify those responsible. We are committed to identifying them, arresting them, and holding them accountable for their actions.”
Police noted local investigators are working with the LCBO and police services in other regions to determine whether the Kitchener incident is related to similar crimes throughout Ontario.
Premier Ford said he has “all the confidence in the world” in the Waterloo Regional Police Service and called Chief Crowell a “champion.”
Ford then took aim at judges in his comments on Wednesday, saying, “People are at their peak with the violence and criminality, and they’re at their wits’ end that the judges keep letting people out on bail.”
The premier added that he’d be “all over” Prime Minister Mark Carney regarding bail reform.
