4 suspects sought after allegedly robbing Vaughan store of cellphones

The latest in a disturbing rash of holiday season commercial robberies took place on Sunday afternoon when several masked suspects stormed a store in Vaughan.

York Regional Police (YRP) investigators say four suspects armed with hammers and wearing ski masks forced their way into a business in the Weston and Rutherford roads area at around 1:40 p.m. on January 5.

Once inside, police say the suspects forced employees to open a safe.

They fled the store, allegedly with a quantity of cellphones and raced away in two getaway cars — a black sedan and blue hatchback.

YRP are seeking the following suspects.

Suspect #1: male, Black, approximately 18, wearing a black and green hooded sweater, grey track pants, white shoes and a black balaclava.

Suspect #2: male, Black, approximately 18, wearing a red jacket, a grey hooded sweater, grey pants, white shoes and a black balaclava.

Suspect #3: male, Black, approximately 18,, wearing a black jacket, black pants, white and black shoes and a black balaclava.

Suspect #4: male, Black, approximately 18,, wearing a black jacket, black pants, a grey toque, white shoes and a black balaclava.

The Greater Toronto Hamilton Area has seen a spike in smash and grab style robberies, with several instances captured on video by witnesses.

“This is a phenomenon that really relates to organized crime that is geared towards recruiting and inducting disaffected largely young males into committing sort of mob organized smash and grabs,” criminal defence lawyer Adam Boni told The Leader Spirit last month.