Durham kidnapping leads to Welland
Three St. Catharines residents report they were taken and forced to withdraw money
Police services in Niagara and Durham are still searching for a 25-year-old Toronto man wanted for alleged kidnapping and forcible confinement in an incident Thursday involving three victims from St. Catharines.
Durham Regional Police said the man, who they did not name, should be considered armed and dangerous.
In a release, they said things began at 10 a..m. Thursday when a male in a bank on Kingston Road in Pickering reported he had been kidnapped, forcibly confined and made to take money out of his account.
A release from Durham police said officers arrived and located the first victim. They also found a suspect vehicle nearby, arrest- ed one suspect and found two other victims in the car.
Police said a second vehicle involved in the incident was located and followed west into Toronto before officers lost sight of it.
The three victims, two males and one female in their 20s, reported they had been kidnapped by three suspects who tied them up and forced them to withdraw money from their bank accounts.
The victims were not injured, and police said it was an isolated incident, not a random act.
The Thursday incident led officers from both services checking for suspects at several residences in Niagara, including Welland and Niagara Falls, Friday afternoon.
Members of Niagara’s emergency task unit searched a large area of Welland and had First, Second and Third streets closed between King Street and Plym- outh Road as officers checked backyards.
Durham and Niagara officers arrested one suspect in Niagara Falls, while a third suspect, the 25-year-old Toronto man, eluded police at a Welland residence.
A car was seen being towed from a driveway at Second and King streets Friday afternoon, but it’s unknown what connection it had to the incident.
Durham police said it’s believed the wanted suspect is driving a black 2009 two-door BMW with Ontario plates CLJA 289. If anyone spots the suspect vehicle, they are asked to contact local police or call 911.
During Friday’s search in Welland, once residents were allowed to enter and leave Second Street they had their vehicles checked by police to ensure the suspect was not inside.
Durham police said Jonathan St. Louis, 19, of Toronto, was charged with break and enter, pointing a firearm, forcible confinement, possess a weapon for committing an offence, utter death threats, kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle, robbery and possess proceeds of crime under $5,000.
The man arrested in Niagara Falls was released unconditionally. The third suspect is wanted for kidnapping, robbery, break and enter, pointing a firearm, forcible confinement, possess a weapon for committing an offence, utter death threats, theft of a motor vehicle and failure to stop for police.
While he was not named by Durham police, a tweet Friday by Niagara police said Michael Nanton-Madden, 25, was being sought.
Niagara police said there was no information that led them to believe there was an ongoing threat to the public.