Local robbery linked to several armed bank robberies in Ontario: OPP

Police have arrested four suspects and are searching for a fifth suspect as part of an ongoing multi-jurisdictional investigation into Project Opal bank robberies, including the Nov. 9, 2023, armed robbery at the Ontario Education Credit Union in Barrie.

Last November, local police reported that two men, both with their faces covered, “burst into the credit union armed with firearms and demanded money.”

Police intervention was delayed by about half an hour as employees were restrained, but police said at the time that no serious injuries occurred.

Barrie police also said the dollar amount taken at the time exceeded five figures, but a specific amount was not disclosed.

Investigators now say the suspects are allegedly responsible for more than $2 million in losses reported at eight banks. The money has not been refunded yet.

The Ontario Education Credit Union’s website says it is open to all active or retired education workers and their families in the province. Its head office is in Mississauga, but it has a branch on Alliance Boulevard in north Barrie.

The joint investigation related to eight bank robberies that occurred between December 8, 2022 and March 16, 2024 in municipalities overseen by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Barrie Police Service, Belleville Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service and Niagara Regional Police. Service and York Regional Police.

Although each police agency investigates its own incidents, in August 2023, the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) stepped in to coordinate the investigation into the suspects after police identified similar characteristics in the robberies, pointing to a single group of perpetrators.

The investigation included support from the Gray Bruce OPP, the Forensic Services Centre, and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Canada (FINTRAC).

“Project Opal required extensive coordination between multiple law enforcement agencies to identify and arrest suspects before they targeted another bank,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns said in a news release. he said. “Through their tireless work, they ensured that no other victim would have to endure the fear and trauma of such an ordeal. I express my gratitude to our Project Opal members for their extraordinary work and unwavering commitment to public safety.”

Police said that in each robbery, two or three people entered the banks before they closed, according to the statement, which also noted that the suspects wore different masks and clothes each time.

Police said at least one handgun was displayed in all eight robberies, but no injuries were reported. In the last six robberies, bank employees were tied up by the suspects.

The three suspects were arrested on June 21 during an attempted robbery in Field, Ontario, located approximately three and a half hours north of Barrie, by the OPP tactics and rescue unit and aviation unit, with support from the West Nipissing OPP. major crime unit and CIB.

A fourth suspect was arrested three days later in Vaughan, while a fifth suspect, identified by police as Akeem Williams, was charged and remains at large.

The suspects face a total of 53 charges, including forcible confinement, intentional disguise, robbery with violence, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, conspiracy to commit a crime and robbery with a firearm, among numerous other crimes.

Charges were filed against Devonte Clark, 29, of Whitby; Keino Heath, 25, of Oshawa; David Newman, 24, from Ajax; and Roderick Newman, 32, of Cobourg.

Williams, 32, from Ajax, is still wanted by police. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked not to approach him and to contact police immediately.

Although charges have been laid, the investigation is ongoing and police urge anyone with information to contact their local police, the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) . ontariocrimestoppers.ca.