Quick thinking by members of a Brampton, Ont., family stopped a car theft in process early Friday, police say, and it was all captured on video.
According to Peel police, the incident happened at a home near Castlemore Road and Goreway Drive at about 2:30 a.m.
Three men broke into a home and one stole a set of car keys, police said. Two fled on foot and the one with the keys unsuccessfully attempted to steal a car in the driveway.
Police said he was then chased down the street by the home’s residents, tackled and pinned down until officers arrived to arrest him.
Gurbaj Sanghera, 18, a family member, said car thefts put lives at risk and police should do more to stop those behind them.
“It’s a scary situation. I hope nobody has to go through it,” Sanghera told CBC Toronto on Friday. “You have to be very careful and take precautions.”
Key taken from Faraday box
Sanghera said he was playing video games while the rest of his family was asleep, when he heard a loud bang. He went downstairs and saw the three masked men inside his home. He says he froze, before they started running and he chased after them.
One had a set of keys in hands, taken out of a Faraday box, meant to block signals emitting from key fobs.
“I’m screaming as I’m making my way over here, hoping that my brother and my dad, somebody hears. And they do hear,” he said.
Security camera video shows two men running away while another struggles to get into an Audi parked in the driveway. He gets in but cannot drive away and appears to lock himself in the car. Using another set of keys, Sanghera’s brother was able to stop him. The car had an anti-theft lock on it.
Then the man gets out of the vehicle and takes off on foot.
“He realizes he’s not getting it, yeah. He tries making a run for it,” Sanghera said.
Sanghera, his father and his brother ran after the man and restrained him until police came.
Const. Sarah Patten, spokesperson for Peel police, said four vehicles were stolen on the same street between August 2022 and August 2023.
A 25-year-old Toronto man has been charged with one count of break and enter and one count of theft over $5,000.
