Laval woman’s car involved in spectacular robbery in Ontario

A Laval woman who had her car stolen on Sunday got a surprise when her vehicle was involved in a spectacular heist in Vaughan, Ontario.

The burglary that’s been compared to an action-movie heist, happened in the early hours of Tuesday and was caught on surveillance cameras from start to finish. The footage has now been released to the public by York Police.

A few hours after the crime was committed, the owner of the car was contacted by the York police and informed of the fact that the vehicle involved used was hers.

“The York police called me on Wednesday morning at 10:47 a.m. telling me that my car was involved in a robbery in a mall, which for me clearly did not make sense. And until I saw the video, the actual footage, I was in shock. I was surprised,’ said Taylor-Anna Kobinger.

“I started crying at first, because I had put a lot of money into it, a lot of effort. I worked very hard to get it. And for someone to just take that away from me. Just to rob a store for me, it doesn’t make sense.”

We’re going to call a flag on this one.

Early this morning a 2011 Black Audi A4 with Quebec licence plate X10 SNP smashed through Vaughan Mills. Two suspects committed a break and enter and fled.

If you have any information on this vehicle or the suspects, please call police. pic.twitter.com/m358aeD3G3

— York Regional Police (@YRP) February 1, 2023

Car stolen in a Laval library parking lot

Laval resident Kobinger, had her car stolen on Sunday after placing a Facebook Marketplace ad.

Asking price for the 2011 Audi A4: $12,500.

She arranged to meet a potential buyer around 2 p.m. in front of a library in Laval.

The “buyer” test drove the vehicle twice. During the second test, he began to drive dangerously, to the point where the woman was frightened, so she asked to change places with him.

“As soon as we wanted to switch place, the key was in my pocket. My phone was on me. I guess it slipped out. We got out of the car. We went all the way to the back, and he ran back in and he pressed on the gas pedal, kinked the car for the doors to close. And I haven’t seen my car ever since.”

Spectacular footage

Her car was next seen smashing through the glass doors of an Ontario mall on Wednesday before breaking into an electronics store.

Police called a very surprised Kobinger at 11 a.m. to tell her of her car’s involvement in the incident.

Surveillance footage from inside Vaughan Mills mall, just north of Toronto, shows the Audi A4, with a Quebec license plate, speeding into one of the mall’s closed entrances. The vehicle then careens through a number of hallways before smashing through another exit and fleeing the scene. The footage does not show when exactly the suspects allegedly broke into the store.

Police called it a “bold crime,” and say that it’s just a matter of luck that no one working after hours, like cleaning staff, were hurt.

“I had put in my mind that my car was in a container being shipped to another country, and that’s what the cops were saying here, too. So seeing the actual footage made me I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say or I just couldn’t stop crying,” said Kobinger.

After police processed the vehicle, Kobinger was able to retrieve it early Friday but not nearly in the shape it was taken from her in, with mechanical and body damage – and to add insult to injury, she didn’t have two-way insurance to protect her from theft or vandalism.

“The point of selling it was because I needed the money not to put the money in it.”

Police are now looking for two suspects in connection with the incident, but no description is available. Both individuals were wearing balaclavas.

The suspects got away with a fair amount of electronics and could face heavy charges.

“It’s a traumatizing event and this night I slept literally three hours – I woke up. The first thing I did is look by the window if my car was there, because they still have the key,” added Kobinger.