SIU investigating crime spree arrest
ALLAN BENNER
The province’s Special Investigations Unit is looking into the arrest of a couple suspected of being involved in a southern Ontario crimespree after a male suspect was seriously injured Friday.
A media release issued Monday by the SIU said the suspects — whom police previously identified as Kevin Stapleford-Francalanza, 24, and Rachel Hayden, 22 — were arrested at about 8:45 p.m., by York Regional Police officers as the couple was leaving the Vaughan Mills shopping centre, near the Toys ’R Us store in Vaughan. The SIU said “there was an interaction with police officers” as they arrested the man, who was transported to a local hospital and later transferred into Niagara Regional Police custody.
After his arrival in Niagara, where police had a warrant for his arrest, the SIU said, “the man was again taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a serious injury.”
NRP spokesman Const. Phil Gavin said local police could provide no further information on the case due to the investigation by the SIU, an arm’s-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
The SIU said it has assigned three investigators and one forensic investigator to the case.
Niagara police earlier reported that the suspects were wanted by eight law enforcement agencies related to at least 25 incidents that occurred Aug. 18 to Sept. 26. The incidents include an interaction with police last week at the Valu-mart parking lot on Niagara Stone Road in Virgil, when a male suspect who was driving a vehicle with a female passenger damaged three police cars, two civilian vehicles and narrowly missed police officers while evading arrest. Police estimate that incident caused more than $15,000 in damages.
In Waterloo, police there believe the couple was involved in an incident at a supermarket where a police officer was assaulted while attempting to arrest a shoplifting suspect.
Other charges against the couple are related to the theft of vehicles, fuel and shoplifting.
The SIU is asking anyone who with information about the investigation to contact its lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529, or if anyone has video evidence related to the case to upload it on the SIU website www. siu.on.ca.