Stories from York Region’s districts

#1 District: Pedestrian, Cycling Safety Campaign Rolls through Newmarket

#1 District officers spent the summer of 2024 working to ensure the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in Newmarket.

Running from June 26 to September 3, 2024, Project Pedals and Pedestrians involved increased foot patrols where officers promoted safe cycling and walking behaviour among cyclists and pedestrians through both education and enforcement. Officers also targeted drivers near high-traffic pedestrian intersections to keep citizens on foot safe from harm. 

Additionally, the project focused on education around safe street-crossing strategies for school-aged children.

A YRP-branded reflective slap bracelet and bicycle safety postcards were also distributed to community members.

A tragic reminder of why these public safety campaigns are so important, on July 23, 2024, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking near a home for vulnerable people. Officers attended the home after the incident to speak with the staff about the safety of its residents, and reflective bracelets were distributed to residents. 

In addition to helping to promote safety among the region’s most vulnerable citizens, police spoke to hundreds of children about the importance of walking and bicycling safely around the street. 

Learn more about our 2024 region-wide cycling safety social media campaign: Reaching our audience through social media – York Regional Police – Annual Report

#2 District: Officers Save a Life in Richmond Hill

#2 District officers saved a life during an assault call in Richmond Hill.

A suspect had committed unprovoked assaults on random citizens when police were called to the scene on July 28, 2024. The suspect was located and arrested by Constable Amy Oliver and Constable Hope Chevrefils. Constable Mike McCool and Constable Alex Barak arrived shortly afterwards.

Although originally seeming only to possess minor injuries, one of the victims, a 69-year-old female, collapsed. Officers immediately requested a rush on an ambulance. 

Constable Barak recognized that the victim was not showing any vital signs, and without hesitation, cleared the bystanders and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).  Constable Chevrefils stepped in to assist Constable Barak with the CPR until an ambulance arrived.

“I was highly impressed and proud to be working beside both Constable Barak and Constable Chevrefils as they exhibited professionalism, calmness and strength of character dealing with a quickly evolving and stressful situation,” said Constable McCool, who was his platoon’s acting supervisor that day. 

Constable McCool continued, “The victim is likely alive today due to the immediate response and life saving measures provided by my colleagues.”

#3 District: Teamwork and professionalism on display during Keswick homicide

A double homicide required #3 District officers to remain cool under pressure, work as a team and handle a challenging and dynamic situation.

On September 18, 2024, in the early morning, a man called 9-1-1 saying that he had been shot multiple times. At the same time, callers from different locations reported gunshots and multiple shooting victims. As information continued to roll in, it remained uncertain if there were multiple shooters or if the suspect or suspects were still in the area. 

Members of #3 District ‘B’ Platoon and #3 District Community Oriented Response arrived on the scene, a large park, within minutes and located two victims suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Life-saving efforts were started immediately but both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene. 

Officers immediately turned their efforts to scene management and preservation of evidence. Within moments, crime scene tape was up, a crime scene log was started and vital evidence was marked off as uniform officers waited for investigators to arrive.

Uniform officers then assisted the #3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau and the Homicide Unit with various tasks, including canvassing for video evidence and locating witnesses.

“This situation was extremely difficult to manage due to the large size, multiple entrances and different crime scenes within the park,” said #3 District Inspector Alice Tsang. “All of this was magnified later in the day when the heat of the afternoon, media and a large public presence made operations more difficult.”

Inspector Tsang continued, “The professionalism, courage and incredible teamwork between various units and officers led to the arrests of two suspects for First Degree Murder.”

#4 District: Investigators foil trafficker sending drugs through the mail

Officers responded to calls for a suspicious package at a delivery service in Vaughan on February 28, 2024. The company’s security told police that an abnormal package was intercepted on its way from Toronto to Alberta after it went through an x-ray scanner. 

#4 District criminal investigators processed the package and found a large quantity of fentanyl, cocaine and crystal meth inside it. 

Shortly after, investigators learned that a second package was flagged with the same phone number associated with the first package. Investigators intercepted the package, which contained crystal meth.

An investigation began to identify the shipper of these packages. After investigators gathered sufficient evidence, search warrants were executed for two addresses and a suspect was arrested, carrying the cellphone connected to both packages. 

The suspect was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Trafficking. 

Warrants yielded drug packaging material, scales, N95 masks, vacuum seal bags, a money counter, a list of debts and roughly $20,000 in cash. In total, approximately six kilograms of crystal meth, 98 grams of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin and 106 grams of cocaine were seized over the course of the investigation and taken off the streets.

#5 District: Officer demonstrates courage during daytime robbery

Shoppers at a Markham mall were shocked and scared when a large group wearing masks and hooded sweaters started smashing in the windows of a jewelry store with hammers and grabbing merchandise during a brazen day-time robbery on December 4, 2024.

Videos posted to social media captured the chaos, with onlookers shouting at the suspects to stop and the suspects filling their arms with items from the store before running out of the mall.

After fleeing the scene, the suspects’ getaway vehicle rear-ended another car just outside the mall as #5 District Constable Arkadiusz Rzekec was driving in the other direction.

Constable Rzekec stopped and pursued six suspects on foot as they fled their car. The officer then arrested two suspects by himself while calling for backup over the radio. Several other officers arrived in the area and two other suspects were quickly apprehended. Lastly, two additional suspects were found hiding in the washroom of a nearby coffee shop.

“Constable Rzekec demonstrated exemplary courage, running after six suspects who had just completed a violent robbery, not knowing what weapons they may have had on them. His actions, physically apprehending two suspects and communicating with his team, lead to the safe arrest of all six suspects,” said #5 District Sergeant Ryan Dare.

Sergeant Dare also praised the work of the other officers who made arrests, those who provided frontline support and our 9-1-1 Communications Centre.

The suspects, two aged 19, one 17, two 16 and one 15 were charged with Robbery with an Offensive Weapon, Disguise with Intent and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000.