Canada-wide warrant for Montreal man after Laval woman’s stolen car involved in mall heist
Posted February 11, 2023 2:29 pm.
Last Updated February 11, 2023 2:32 pm.
Police in Ontario have identified a suspect they allege was part of a daring shopping centre heist involving a Laval woman’s stolen vehicle.
BACKGROUND: Laval woman’s car involved in spectacular robbery in Ontario
Nineteen-year-old Israel Muamba of Montreal was one of two suspects responsible for the brazen crime, York Regional Police say.
He is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for several charges including break and enter, theft over $5,000 and dangerous driving.
The early morning Feb. 1 robbery, caught on surveillance video, saw a car crash into a shopping mall in Vaughan Mills, Ont. The vehicle drove through the empty centre to facilitate an electronics store heist.
“The suspects stole a quantity of items,” police said in a release. “The vehicle drove out of the mall through a second entrance.”
Investigators say the vehicle used in the robbery — a stolen black 2011 Audi A4 with a Quebec licence plate — was later found near Highway 401.
You helped us locate the car, now we need your help finding the suspect.
A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for Israel Muamba, aged 19. For more details: https://t.co/2b9igQ1e86
If you have any information, please call police immediately. https://t.co/yLjUjGQzMr pic.twitter.com/JqxximhGn2
— York Regional Police (@YRP) February 9, 2023
‘I was in shock’
A few hours later, police contacted the owner of the stolen car, Taylor-Anna Kobinger of Laval, informing her the vehicle involved 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,” said the Laval woman. “And until I saw the video, the actual footage, I was in shock. I was surprised.
“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.”
Police are encouraging Muamba to turn himself in as they work to identify the second male suspect.
No injuries were reported in what police described as “an audacious and remarkable crime.”
WATCH: Quebec woman’s car stolen, involved in spectacular robbery in Ontario
Car stolen in a Laval library parking lot
Kobinger says her car was stolen after placing a Facebook Marketplace ad.
The asking price for the 2011 Audi A4 was $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,” recounted Kobinger. “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.”
—With files from Michael Talbot
