17-year-old arrested in carjacking investigation with bear spray: police

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with three carjacking investigations, including one where he doused the victim with bear spray.

All the incidents took place within a week between December 28 last year and January 4 this year.

In the first incident on Dec. 28, police say the suspect approached the victim while she was sitting in a car in the area of ​​Finch and Midland avenues around 11:15 p.m.

According to the assumption, the suspect opened the driver's side door and took the woman out of the car. Later, he got into a car and fled from the scene,” said the police.

A few days later on January 1, officers were again called to the area of ​​Finch and Midland avenues to investigate a carjacking.

This time, police say, the suspect approached another victim while she was loading her two children into her car shortly before 6 p.m.

Police say the suspect verbally demanded and pointed bear spray at the woman and her children.

However, according to the police, the suspect fled the scene after the woman screamed and attracted the attention of other people nearby.

The third incident happened just after midnight on Jan. 4 in the area of ​​Finch Avenue and Don Mills Road.

Police say the man and woman were walking back to their car when the suspect came up behind the man and demanded the keys.

The suspect allegedly sprayed the man with bear spray before taking the keys and fleeing the scene in his vehicle.

In a press release issued Monday afternoon, police confirmed that the suspect in all three carjacking investigations was arrested by Ontario Provincial Police over the weekend in an unrelated matter.

The suspect, who cannot be identified under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces 11 charges, including robbery and robbery with an offensive weapon.