Police arrest six people connected to multiple robberies

Waterloo Regional Police have made six arrests after multiple robbery incidents on Monday.

At around 8:43 a.m., police received a call of an attempted armed robbery at a financial institution on Erb Street in Waterloo.

“An employee was approached by three males, who assaulted and threatened her when she refused to open the door to the business. The male suspects then fled the area in a stolen vehicle,” read a media release from the Waterloo Regional Police Service.

About an hour after the first call, police received a second call of an armed robbery at a pharmacy located on Stanley Street in Ayr. No one was hurt and the suspects fled with cash.

Police allege the suspects then attempted a third robbery in south Kitchener but were ‘prevented by police’.

WRPS Inspector Jason Boutcher said police later arrested six individuals in three separate locations in the area of King and Columbia in Waterloo.

“Our officers were able to locate the suspected vehicles and subjects (…) we were able to arrest six individuals. During the arrest, we were able to seize two stolen vehicles and located one replica firearm,” said Boutcher. “We believed these suspects to be armed at the time and used a distraction device to help safely apprehend these subjects.”

Boutcher added that one of the suspects sustained a minor injury when they were bit by a K9 dog.

The suspects have been identified as six males: two Toronto youths, a Waterloo youth, a 21-year-old from Waterloo, and an unidentified 21-year-old and 22-year-old.

Police also allege that through an investigation it was determined the accused individuals were involved in a pharmacy robbery in the Belmont and Claremont area of Kitchener on Sunday night.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are anticipated.