Thieves had their eye on a stolen Lamborghini, so did the cops

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These bandits not only had a thing for fancy sports cars, they packed heat on their illegal shopping trip, too. 

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What transpired in Toronto’s northwest Friday night is the stuff of movies. But this was not fiction.

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And it all centred around one sweet ride. It was a thing of beauty just sitting there in a parking lot standing out like only a Lamborghini can. Many people noticed it outside a bar in the Islington and Steeles Aves. area of 32 Division. 

Toronto Police, too. 

A quick system search turned up a report that this high-end ride had been reported stolen. Welcome to Toronto in 2024.

Normally, carjackers take a car from one location and dropped it off at another, while those involved in the fencing business wait to make sure there is no heat on what they see as merchandise. They watch to see if an owner uses a hidden tracking device to find their stolen ride. 

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Or, perhaps, whether it was tagged by police. 

If the coast is clear, it is picked up by criminals, who drive the vehicle away for sale on the illegal market.

In this case, there was a glitch, however. They were not the only ones watching. Police were, too. 

“They noticed the Lamborghini parked in a bar parking lot,” Const. Shannon Eames said in an email. “It was stolen the night before.” 

What happened next is a snapshot which shows how much of a problem carjackings and car thefts have become in Toronto, where more than 30 vehicles are stolen every day. Many of those stolen vehicles are sent to the port of Montreal in shipping containers, and put on a freighter destined for an offshore buyer.

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Car thieves love sports classics like Lamborghini, Ferrari or popular sellers like Range Rovers or Mercedes or BMWs. Such models have been stolen by the hundreds in the GTA.

It turns out not only was the Lambo stolen, but so was the sports car arrived with the crew allegedly sent to collect it, according to police. 

“A stolen BMW pulled up with three guys in it,” alleged Eames. 

Oops.  

There was a police car there. 

“They rammed a scout car,” said Eames. 

All hell allegedly broke loose as they tried to quickly exit the area. Not so fast. Toronto Police managed to prevent the getaway. 

Sources say police vehicles were allegedly able to corner the BMW and during the attempt to arrest the occupants, windows were smashed, and police deployed a Taser on the driver. 

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Another police source said, “it was a great job by the officers getting these guys after they tried to ram their way out of the police box.” 

Eventually three suspects were pulled out of the car and what they were allegedly carrying gives pause to actually how much worse this all could have turned out. 

“They ended up arresting all three parties and found three guns on them,” said Eames. 

They are all expected to appear in court Monday. The details of the charges and the identities of those arrested will be released Tuesday. 

The investigation is ongoing. When you have three guns in one car, you know there’s a lot of probing that must happen.

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There will be more to come on this case. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

That said, one has to give a pat on the backs of police. This is another example of how dangerous their jobs are and the risk they face.

This could have gone any number of ways. Thankfully, no one was hurt or killed. 

It also marks another important win in the fight against the car thefts and the alleged criminal groups that steal them. They’re no longer getting away with vehicles as easily as they once did. Technology, policing and the courts are all working hard to catch up. 

There is work to do on that front, but a bust like this does send a message. It also is a small victory for rightfully frustrated victims who have grown tired after so many cars have been stolen with no repercussions. 

Too often, organized car theft rings win in that they get a six-figure luxury vehicle for free to sell at a huge profit offshore. 

Not this time, police say. 

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