Mall carjacker placed under house arrest

At the time of the carjacking, the defendant was prohibited from driving in Ontario due to a previous conviction for dangerous driving

A man who threatened a pregnant woman with a knife at a Niagara shopping mall before speeding off in her Mercedes and later crashing the stolen vehicle in London, Ont., has been sentenced to house arrest.

Michael Barrett, 30, appeared in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Thursday for sentencing on multiple criminal charges including robbery and dangerous driving.

The London resident received a two-year conditional sentence — also known as house arrest — followed by probation for two years. The sentence reflected the nine months the defendant spent in pretrial custody.

He was also banned from driving for three years and he must perform 180 hours of community service.

On Sept. 9, 2020, court was told, security officers at the Outlet Collection at Niagara attempted to detain Barrett after he was suspected of making several fraudulent purchases within the Niagara-on-the-Lake mall.

During a struggle, the defendant was able to break free and run through the mall with the officers in pursuit.

He ran into the parking lot and confronted a pregnant woman sitting in a Mercedes.

He threatened the woman with a knife and she ran from the vehicle.

A bystander stepped in to help security officers attempt to contain the man in the car.

The security staff and the Good Samaritan were threatened by the knife-wielding man.

Ontario Provincial Police arrested the defendant the following day after responding to a two-vehicle crash involving the Mercedes and a transport truck on Highway 401 near London.

When Barrett first spotted police, he fled on foot, running across live lanes on the highway in an attempt to escape.

At the time of the carjacking, the defendant was prohibited from driving in Ontario due to a previous conviction for dangerous driving.