Police arrest slashers who damaged Oakville, Burlington theatre screens over showing foreign film

Oakville | Burlington | Halton | Crime | Latest News |

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Published July 13, 2022 at 3:35 pm

The Halton Regional Police have arrested two men in connection with an organized movie theatre screen slashing series that included a pair of Oakville theatres. FILM.CA PHOTO

Halton Regional Police have arrested a Toronto man and Pickering man in connection with a series of movie theatre screen slashings in Oakville, Burlington and two other cities.

Police say the two men stopped at five different theatres over the period of a little more than three months in a series of organized theatre screen slashings that resulted in a total of approximately $100,000 in damage.

Investigators suspected the theatres were targeted over the showing of a foreign movie. At the time, the theatres were playing a film titled “Bheemla Nayak”.

Two movie theatre screens at the Cineplex Silver City Cinemas on Winston Park Drive in Oakville were slashed on November 16, 2021. Police say the two males entered the theatre and slashed the screens during a movie before they fled the area.

Later that same day, the two males did similar damage to the movie screens at the Cineplex Silver City located in Richmond Hill.

A little more than three months later on February 23, 2022, two males attended Film.ca on Speers Road in Oakville and cut two theatre screens during the showing of a movie.

The same males then committed the same offence at Cine Starz on Brant Street in Burlington and the Princess Cinemas in Waterloo.

After an investigation into the incidents, investigators from 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) executed criminal code search warrants on Tuesday (July 12) at residences in Scarborough and Pickering.

They would secure evidence in relation to the offences.

Dean Priestly, 30, of Toronto was arrested and charged with the following offences:

Mischief Over $5000 (two counts)

Mohammed Yousafzai, 38, of Pickering was arrested and charged with the following offences:

Mischief Over $5000 (five counts)

Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence

Both men were released from police custody on an undertaking with a court date.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 2 District Street Crime Unit at 905-825-4777, ext.2216

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the website at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

 

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