Police believe Kitchener LCBO theft is related to province-wide organized theft

A viral video showing thieves stuffing hockey bags with liquor at a Kitchener LCBO is part of a province-wide organized retail theft trend, police say.

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A viral video showing thieves stuffing hockey bags with liquor at a Kitchener LCBO is part of a province-wide organized retail theft trend, police say.

The video shows staff and citizens standing by as several unmasked men filled several duffel bags and other containers with liquor before exiting the store and escaping in a vehicle.

Waterloo Regional Police Services confirmed that the video was taken on Saturday at around 4:30 pm at the LCBO store on Pioneer Drive in Kitchener, and that the incident is under investigation.

Cherri Greeno, a spokeswoman for the force told True North that police received a call to the location that six males walked into the LCBO store and began filling large bags with bottles of alcohol.

“Most of the alcohol that they put into the bags was Scotch, estimated to be worth approximately $8,000,” Greeno told True North. “This was on such a scale that the items that they took were obviously not for personal consumption. Just after filling their bag, they fled the store in a vehicle.”

She confirmed that no arrests have been made, but that WRPS are working with its policing partners, the LCBO and other jurisdictions, as they believe it’s related to similar thefts and trends occurring across Ontario.

“This was a brazen, coordinated, and organized theft committed on such a scale that the items taken are obviously not for personal consumption. The suspects showed little concern for the safety or wellness of staff and patrons inside the store, and we are currently reviewing evidence, including video and photos, to identify those responsible,” Greeno added. “We are committed to identifying them, arresting them, and holding them accountable for their actions.”

As reported by True North in March, Peel Regional Police charged five men allegedly connected with an organized theft ring that targeted LCBO stores across Ontario. According to police at the time, the thefts connected to the individuals amounted to approximately $237,738.95 worth of stolen goods.

Two others were arrested and charged by PRPS in connection with the same incident in June.

The Kitchener theft prompted an unsolicited rant from Ontario Premier Doug Ford at the end of a press conference on Wednesday, condemning the theft wave.

“We’ve got to catch these guys and throw them in jail. They just do not care. They go in there. They start loading up, loading up and loading up. And you know what’s ironic, it’s the taxpayers’ money, the LCBO, and so they’re stealing off the taxpayers,” Ford said. “I have confidence they’re going to be caught, and the judges have to keep these guys (off) bail.”

He noted another instance and a viral video of young men smashing glass at a jewellery store, before celebrating private citizens who intervene in thefts.

“I love the one. I think it was a year ago when the guy in the LCBO, just a customer, stood up and held (the thieves) accountable. I’d love to meet that guy one day,” Ford said. “He gave him a couple slugs in the head. They deserve a slug in the head every once in a while.”

The video in question shows one grey-haired Canadian man punching the thieves, and one individual called out to him saying, “Back off, he has a knife!” as the other customers try to ask the defending man to let the thieves go for his own safety.

Ford said he will be “all over” Prime Minister Mark Carney to get him to introduce bail reform and get “tough on crime.”

“We’ve got to get tough on this crime. People are fed up and wishing all the best for our friend and Lindsay,” Ford said, referencing the case of Jeremy McDonald, a man charged after defending himself against a home invasion earlier this month.

“People are at their peak with this violence, I mean, with the violence, but the criminality, and they’re just at their wits’ end that the judges keep letting people out of jail, out on bail. So we’re going to hold these guys accountable.”