WARMINGTON: Car thieves get unwanted attention after hockey star, city councillor targeted

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Stealing high-end cars is easy money for criminals.

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Since car thieves move in such a stealthy way, these criminals rarely seem to get caught, and the cars they steal are usually never seen again.

But their easy ride may become bumpier following the gunpoint theft of Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner’s Range Rover.

Nor is Marner the first high-profile person in the GTA to be victimized, as Toronto City Councillor Mark Grimes will attest.

Grimes’ Range Rover was not in his driveway one morning a couple of weeks ago. The good news is he has a special app to tracks his vehicle.

“It showed up as being near King Rd. and Hwy. 400,” said the councillor, who represents the Mimico area.

While distressed that someone stole his car, the politician was relieved he had tracked its location.

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But hopes for a happy ending were dashed when police tracked the signal to an “abandoned dirt road with nothing around,” recalled Grimes.

Certainly no Range Rover. Police found the locating devices had been discarded there to create a wild goose chase.

“I was told my car was likely already on a ship container headed to somewhere else in the world,” said Grimes.

Soon, someone on another continent will be driving Grimes beloved 2018 Range Rover.

“It shocks you,” he said of being violated.

Targeting a city councillor may prove to be a mistake on the part of car thieves. Grimes has put forward a motion to encourage industry and police action designed to shut down organized car theft rings.

“This was the second such motion,” said Grimes. “Councillor Michael Colle put forward one in 2021, as well.”

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In a nutshell, these councillors want to “re-establish” the Toronto Police car theft unit, ensure police forces share information, and request resources from senior levels of government to pay for more officers.

They also want to create a “Provincial/Municipal Auto Theft Task Force” to combat this epidemic of auto theft.

This is not going to be easy.

“It’s organized crime,” said Grimes.

Sophisticated, too.

They have computer equipment to clone keys and start a car electronically, and they can easily find and remove security and tracking equipment.

“Sometimes they will steal a car and park it in a mall parking lot for a couple of days to make sure it’s not being tracked and then move it,” said Grimes.

Recently, a new band of thugs have gotten into this racket, and they don’t bother with the planning, technology and patience.

They just take out their guns and steal a vehicle from an owner while the car is still running, leaving the traumatized driver behind with no ride.

“We have seen people stage accidents, as well,” said Grimes. “They hit your bumper and then take off with your car.”

That’s the bad news in May 2022.

But there’s also bad news for the robbers behind all of this.

Now that Marner’s Range Rover has been targeted, the cat is out of the bag and law enforcement is now being encouraged by politicians to shut this scourge down.

Call it the Marner effect!

Article content

Stealing high-end cars is easy money for criminals.

Article content

Since car thieves move in such a stealthy way, these criminals rarely seem to get caught, and the cars they steal are usually never seen again.

But their easy ride may become bumpier following the gunpoint theft of Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner’s Range Rover.

Nor is Marner the first high-profile person in the GTA to be victimized, as Toronto City Councillor Mark Grimes will attest.

Grimes’ Range Rover was not in his driveway one morning a couple of weeks ago. The good news is he has a special app to tracks his vehicle.

“It showed up as being near King Rd. and Hwy. 400,” said the councillor, who represents the Mimico area.

While distressed that someone stole his car, the politician was relieved he had tracked its location.

Article content

But hopes for a happy ending were dashed when police tracked the signal to an “abandoned dirt road with nothing around,” recalled Grimes.

Certainly no Range Rover. Police found the locating devices had been discarded there to create a wild goose chase.

“I was told my car was likely already on a ship container headed to somewhere else in the world,” said Grimes.

Soon, someone on another continent will be driving Grimes beloved 2018 Range Rover.

“It shocks you,” he said of being violated.

Targeting a city councillor may prove to be a mistake on the part of car thieves. Grimes has put forward a motion to encourage industry and police action designed to shut down organized car theft rings.

“This was the second such motion,” said Grimes. “Councillor Michael Colle put forward one in 2021, as well.”

Article content

In a nutshell, these councillors want to “re-establish” the Toronto Police car theft unit, ensure police forces share information, and request resources from senior levels of government to pay for more officers.

They also want to create a “Provincial/Municipal Auto Theft Task Force” to combat this epidemic of auto theft.

This is not going to be easy.

“It’s organized crime,” said Grimes.

Sophisticated, too.

They have computer equipment to clone keys and start a car electronically, and they can easily find and remove security and tracking equipment.

“Sometimes they will steal a car and park it in a mall parking lot for a couple of days to make sure it’s not being tracked and then move it,” said Grimes.

Recently, a new band of thugs have gotten into this racket, and they don’t bother with the planning, technology and patience.

They just take out their guns and steal a vehicle from an owner while the car is still running, leaving the traumatized driver behind with no ride.

“We have seen people stage accidents, as well,” said Grimes. “They hit your bumper and then take off with your car.”

That’s the bad news in May 2022.

But there’s also bad news for the robbers behind all of this.

Now that Marner’s Range Rover has been targeted, the cat is out of the bag and law enforcement is now being encouraged by politicians to shut this scourge down.

Call it the Marner effect!