By Staff
April 13th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
This is about as brazen as you can get.
Man drops by a used car dealership – looks over a car – goes for a test drive with the sales rep. The engine is shut down. Sales agent heads for the office to get some papers, customer asks if the sales guy will turn the engine on again – he wants to listen to it – we will let the police tell the rest of this story.
The Halton Regional Police Service is asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect involved in a series of daytime vehicle thefts.
On April 8, 2020, the male suspect attended a dealership on Fairview Street in the City of Burlington. The male inquired about a 2017 Black Range Rover at the dealership. The male requested to see the vehicle in order to check out some of the features. Once the sales person shut the vehicle off; the male asked to hear the engine again and asked for the keys to start the Range Rover. The male suspect then proceeded to get into the Range Rover and drive away at a high rate of speed out of the dealership lot.
This same suspect is responsible for two other similar style vehicle thefts. These thefts took place on March 29, 2020 in the Town of Oakville and again on March 30, 2020 in City of Burlington. During those vehicle thefts, the male suspect proceeded to steal a 2015 Black Mercedes S550 (Oakville Dealership) and a 2018 Black Mercedes E400 (Online Private Sale). During all three incidents, male suspect was left alone with the vehicle keys briefly and was able to drive away with these vehicles.
Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect responsible for these vehicle thefts.
Suspect is described as a male, white, with a slim build, 170lbs and was between 5’11” and 6″ in height with short brown hair. He was wearing a black jacket and white shirt and had black sunglasses on. The suspect appeared to be between the age of 30-40 years.
If anyone has information about the identity of the suspect, please contact Detective Constable Colin MacLeod of the 30 Division Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825 4747 ext. 2357.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
How is sitting in a car for a drive with a customer/stranger physical distancing? Are car dealerships an essential service?
Sorry, but there is something really odd here.
Everytime I have gone into a car dealership over the last twenty years to test drive a car, and before even setting foot in the vehicle, the salesperson has asked to take a copy of my drivers’ license. This is a safeguard for the dealership and quite a reasonable request.
So, if it happened in this case, doesn’t the dealership have the drivers’ license on file? Moreover, who leaves a customer unattended in a $50,000 car with the keys? Doesn’t it seem logical that the salesperson would stay with the customer, and then accompany him back inside to complete the paperwork?
Either I’m really suspicious, or there are a lot of really naive/really negligent salespeople out there.