A suspect is facing multiple charges after allegedly trying to grab an officer’s gun in a hotel parking lot in Richmond Hill on Thursday.
York Regional Police said an officer approached a suspicious vehicle occupied by a man and a teenage girl in the parking lot of a hotel near Yonge Street and Elgin Mills Road at around 2:45 a.m. on Dec. 28.
The driver stepped out of the vehicle to engage with the officer and during the course of their interaction a struggle ensued in which the suspect allegedly grabbed the officer’s service pistol and attempted to disarm him, police said.
The man was arrested, as was the 16-year-old girl who was in the vehicle with him.
Two officers and the male suspect sustained minor injuries in the struggle and were taken to hospital for treatment.
While searching the vehicle, police said, officers allegedly found a loaded Glock 19 handgun with a prohibited magazine that had a capacity of 15 rounds of ammunition.
Police said Friday that 22-year-old Syed Ali Mahrous Raza of Markham, and the 16-year-old girl from Whitchurch-Stouffville are now facing a list of charges, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a loaded prohibited firearm and possession of a firearm without a license. Raza is also facing charges of attempting to disarm a peace officer and obstructing a peace officer.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and are asking anyone with further information to reach out to investigators.
