Headlines

VIDEO: Jewelry Store Robbery Goes Wrong at Ontario Mall as Bystanders Help With Takedown

5 arrested after smash-and-grab heist involving use of bear spray.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 31, 2026

INSTORE Staff

VIDEO: Jewelry Store Robbery Goes Wrong at Ontario Mall as Bystanders Help With Takedown https://instoremag.com/video-jewelry-store-robbery-goes-wrong-at-ontario-mall-as-bystanders-help-with-takedown/">

Five male suspects face charges after a chaotic jewelry store robbery at an Ontario mall on Sunday that involved bear spray, bystander intervention and K-9 dogs chasing down the alleged smash-and-grab thieves.

Durham Regional Police told Canadian television network CP24 that four suspects entered Bellagio Jewellers II at the Oshawa Centre at around 3:45 p.m., using “hard-edged tools” to smash display cases and deploying bear spray. Two suspects were apprehended inside the mall by security and bystanders, with social media video showing shoppers placing a suspect in a chokehold and confronting another.

Three other suspects fled in a getaway vehicle but were arrested following a nearby collision and foot chase involving a K-9 unit. Police identified three adult suspects aged 18, 22, and 40, while two teenagers, ages 15 and 17, also face charges including robbery and conspiracy.

One employee of the jewelry store was treated for bear spray exposure. Const. Nicholas Gluckstein advised the public against intervening in such situations for safety reasons, despite the legal right to perform citizen’s arrests.

INSTORE Staff

Since launching in 2002, INSTORE has won 89 international journalism awards for its publication and website. Contact INSTORE's editors at [email protected].

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