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Ten people have been arrested and face more than 100 charges combined following a months-long investigation into violent carjackings and high-end vehicle thefts across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Peel police say.
The investigation, which began in March and focused on 21 carjacking and car theft incidents that occurred between June 2025 and April 2026, uncovered a “coordinated” criminal network, police said in a news release Sunday.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, Det. Sgt. Earl Scott, who oversaw the investigation, said some of the incidents left victims with “severe injuries” because the alleged offenders brandished knives, firearms, and physically assaulted them during the thefts.
The criminal network responsible was allegedly in charge of organizing and carrying out the robberies, making arrangements to sell stolen vehicles and recruiting younger offenders, Scott said.
Two of the people arrested and charged were 17-year-olds from Brampton and Mississauga, according to police. The other eight ranged in age from 19 to 37 and were from different parts of the GTA, including Oakville, Brampton, Mississauga and Halton Hills.
Their charges include participating in a criminal organization, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, weapons offences and failure to comply with release orders, police said.
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During Monday’s news conference, police shared a video of a violent carjacking that happened last summer that is allegedly tied to the criminal network they had broken up.
The video appears to show a plaza parking lot in broad daylight, where the victim, a driver of a Rolls Royce, is confronted by the accused and attacked. Some of the accused then take off in the victim’s vehicle, while the rest drive off in another vehicle parked nearby.
The victim is seen holding on to the driver’s door of the car before being thrown off as the accused speed off.
Police said a total of 15 vehicles, including BMWs and an Acura, valued at a total $1.4 million, have been recovered. Four firearms were also seized.
Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the work could not have been done without the help of “multiple agencies” that included the Ontario Provincial Police and the Halton, Hamilton and Toronto police forces.
“Today’s arrests represent an elimination of threats in our community,” he said Monday, noting that police remain “focused” on continuing to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks involved in carjackings and car thefts.
Duraiappah and Scott were also joined by Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich, Peel Police Service Board chair Nando Iannicca and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown.
During the news conference, Iannica repeatedly thanked Brown, who is running for re-election, for supporting the police force from “day one.”