Calgary carjacking spree results in charges against 2 men

Two people are facing charges related to a string of Calgary car thefts in which thieves stole and attempted to steal multiple vehicles in less than an hour.

All the events took place on Monday, November 4.

The first, an attempted carjacking, occurred in the 5900 block of Center Street South at 4:15 p.m.

The victim was sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle in a parking lot when two men in a Chevrolet Silverado approached. Police said one of the men exited the Silverado and attempted to get into the victim’s vehicle, but he was able to drive away.

Less than five minutes later, police were called to Sue Higgins Park at Southland Drive and Deerfoot Trail SE after the men allegedly abandoned the Silverado stolen earlier that day and stole a Ford Ranger that was left running and unattended.

About 15 minutes after that, police said the Ranger was driven into a parking lot in the 5300 block of 72 Avenue SE, where the men allegedly removed the driver from the Toyota Corolla and left him there.

Ten minutes later, the Corolla pulled into a parking lot in the 5500 block of 51 Avenue SE, and a fight broke out between the men, who allegedly tried to steal a parked BMW, the BMW owner, and several bystanders.

The men allegedly eventually got into the Corolla and drove away.

The same Corolla then crashed into a field near 50 Avenue and 68 Street SE, where the men were taken into custody.

“Throughout this spree, these suspects demonstrated an alarming escalation in violence and showed no regard for public safety,” said Staff Sgt. Keith Shufelt in a news release Thursday.

“For almost an hour, police resources from across the city focused on tracking and arresting these individuals to prevent further victimization.”

Sebastian Thomas Tait, 30, and Hunter Samson-Boucher, 25, both of Calgary, face multiple charges.

Both will remain in custody and will appear in court on December 5.

“The majority of these incidents are believed to be crimes of opportunity and not motivated by organized crime,” police said. “Criminals use stolen vehicles to commit other crimes, hide their identities and evade the police.”

As of Thursday, 42 car thefts have been reported in Calgary this year, compared to 51 car thefts reported in all of 2023, police said.