Two Toronto men, Brampton man arrested for Oakville carjackings

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Published June 13, 2022 at 2:53 pm

Two Toronto men and a man from Brampton have been arrested in connection with a pair of Oakville carjackings that involved gunshots earlier this year.

Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) investigators, working alongside officer from several other police services, arrested the three they say were responsible for the carjackings that happened on February 26 and March 30.

Toronto’s Christopher Ugochukwu, 19, was arrested on May 19 followed by the arrest of Merrick Beddaoui, 22, also of Toronto, on June 6.

The pair have been charged for the two carjackings in Oakville as well as a series of them throughout the GTA.

In the March 30 carjacking that took place in the area of Bridge Rd. and Lees Lane at around 12:30 a.m., police say the three men took off in a blue coloured 2017 Audi RS7, 4-door vehicle.

The victim was approached in his garage before he was assaulted and had his keys stolen. Police allege Ugochukwu fired several rounds with a handgun toward the residence.

Ugochukwu is facing the following charges (for the Oakville occurrences):

  • Disguise with Intent (2 counts)
  • Robbery (2 counts)
  • Possession of Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
  • Possession of Property Obtained by Crime (over $5000)
  • Dangerous Operation
  • Pointing a Firearm
  • Discharge Firearm with Intent
  • Careless Use of a Firearm

Beddaoui is facing the following charges (for the Oakville occurrences):

  • Fail to comply Probation Order (4 counts)
  • Robbery (2 counts)
  • Disguise with Intent (2 counts)
  • Dangerous Operation
  • Possession of Property obtained by Crime (over $5000)

Halton Police arrested Chessen Johnston, 27, in Toronto on May 20. The Brampton man is facing charges related to the investigation of the Feb. 26 carjacking in Oakville.

At the time of his arrest, Johnston was in possession of a stolen vehicle and loaded 9mm handgun (see photo below).

Johnston has been charged with the following:

  • Robbery with a Firearm
  • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
  • Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000
  • Fraud Under $5000
  • Unauthorized Possession of Credit Card
  • Failure to Comply with Probation Order
  • Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm in a Motor Vehicle
  • Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
  • Dangerous Operation
  • Unauthorized Possession of a Weapon
  • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
  • Possession of a Prohibited Device or Ammunition Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized
  • Tampering with a Serial Number
  • Possession Contrary to Prohibition Order
  • Possession of a Controlled Substance – Oxycodone
  • Fail to Comply with Probation Order
  • Fail to Comply with Release Order
  • Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000

Local police services have combined resources and established a task force, dubbed Operation GTA, to further co-ordinate law enforcement efforts in combating these crimes.

The Halton Regional Police Service is a member of this task force, alongside York Regional Police, the Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Durham Regional Police Service, with the support of Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777, ext. 2216.

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

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