Police are searching for up to six people who were captured on home security cameras breaking into a Grimsby home with hammers in the early morning hours Thursday.
Niagara police say just before 2:30 a.m., five or six male suspects used a hammer to smash the front glass door of a home in the Winston Road and Kelson Avenue North area near Fifty Point.
Once inside, police say the suspects “approached the occupant and demanded keys to several high-end vehicles that were parked in the driveway.”
The keys were given to the men who then left the home and attempted to steal the vehicles. However, police say secondary anti-theft measures installed in the vehicles prevented the thieves from succeeding, and they fled in a waiting vehicle.
No one was injured during the home invasion and police say the only items stolen were various sets of keys.
Security video shared on social media by the homeowner shows two suspects approach the front door before one smashes glass and all five walk into the home in succession.
Three can also be seen carrying what appear to be hammers as they enter the home.
Separate security video shows the suspects opening the doors to several vehicles, getting inside, and attempting to start the vehicles. However, after multiple failed attempts the suspects are seeing running away.
The homeowner told CTV News Toronto that three of the five suspects started running when they couldn’t take her vehicles. She said the other two ran behind the home and into a field where they dropped the stolen keys.
She said she was the only one home at the time of the attempted robbery.
Niagara police say they are now looking for six people.
The first suspect is described as a Black male with a heavy build. He was wearing grey sweatpants with a single black stripe down the sides, a black hoodie, a bandana, black and white shoes, and police say he was carrying a hammer at the time of the home invasion.
Police describe the second suspect as an Asian male with a light build who was wearing black sweatpants, red casual shoes, a grey T-shirt, and a ski mask. They say he has a tattoo on his left forearm and left bicep and was also carrying a hammer.
The third suspect is a White male with a light build, according to police, and had been wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, both grey, along with a bandana.
The fourth and fifth suspects are both described by police as men with light builds, wearing grey hoodies, grey sweatpants, as well as black shoes, gloves, and a bandana.
Police gave no description for the sixth person, but say they’re believed to be the driver.
Investigators are asking residents in the area to check any home security systems for video of suspicious vehicles in the area around the time.
Anyone with information should contact Niagara police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
