Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
The suspect turned themselves into authorities on Thursday, just one day after police released footage of the brazen incident.
Police have previously said the suspect attended the victim’s residence near Winston Churchill Boulevard and Eglinton Avenue in Mississauga on the afternoon of Sept. 6 after responding to an Auto Trader advertisement for his 2022 Porsche Cayenne
In the footage, a young woman is seen knocking on the home’s door and telling the victim that she is waiting for her father and is interested in “taking a look” at the Porsche.
The video then cuts to the driveway, where the suspect can be seen in the driver’s seat of the Porsche. As the vehicle turns on and moves slightly, the victim tries to get inside before making his way to the rear of the vehicle.
That’s when the suspect floors it and reverses the vehicle onto the street, striking the victim.
“We published that video on Wednesday afternoon and within 24 hours it had been shared 95,000 times. So very, very quickly that video reached millions of viewers and folks then reshared it on social media allowing that message to be spread. We then received numerous tips from the public, which allowed us to identify her (the suspect) very rapidly and effectively pressure her to surrender to police,” Peel police Const. Tyler Bell told CP24 on Friday afternoon. “First and foremost this speaks to the importance and significance of having home surveillance footage, especially quality footage like this but it also speaks to the power of social media.”
Bell described the theft of the Porsche are particularly “brazen” and noted that the victim would have been much more seriously injured “if not for some luck and some physics.”
He said that the suspect taken into custody is “linked to numerous (other) investigations in Peel” and is wanted by other GTA police services in connection with separate investigations.
Police have said that the accused has also been charged with prior fraud-related offences in Peel.
Sarah Badshaw, 18, of Brampton is charged with four offences related to the theft of the Porsche, including theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous operation causing bodily harm.
“There is a saying in policing that I am sure we have all heard before - you cant outrun the chopper. But in Sarah’s case here you can’t outrun the share button. This was viewed so many times, it was shared so many times and it led to an influx of tips coming in,” Bell said.
Police say that their investigation remains active and “investigators anticipate additional arrests and charges.”
