A Milton man is among five suspects that have been arrested following an armed robbery attempt at a jewelry store in Brampton.
On Thursday, April 6th, at roughly 11:00 a.m., the suspects attended a jewelry store in the area of McLaughlin Road and Wanless Drive in Brampton. It is alleged that the suspects, armed with firearms and other weapons, made attempts to break into the store; however, were not completely successful. They fled the area in a White Dodge Durango, which had no licence plates attached to it.
One victim sustained minor injuries, as a result of this incident.
Investigative efforts led to the identity of one of the culprits and several associated addresses throughout the GTA.
Multiple search warrants were executed where the suspects were arrested and charged with 53 criminal offences. As a result, four firearms with various ammunition were seized. Police also located and seized a bulletproof vest, over 370lbs of marijuana, over $65,000 in Canadian currency, a Taser, jewelry and other offence related property. A collection of photos from the arrest can be found at the bottom of this article.
On Friday, April 7th, the following persons were arrested and charged with the following offences. They were all held for bail hearings at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.
Kurt Downer, a 41-year-old man of no fixed address has been charged with:
- Robbery with a Firearm
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized (x2)
- Careless Storage of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Prohibited/Restricted Firearm with Ammunition (x2)
- Possession of a Prohibited Device (x2)
- Possession of a Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order (x5)
At the time of his arrest, Kurt Downer was bound by five weapons prohibition orders stemming from previous convictions for firearms and drug related offences.
Darnyl Campbell, a 30-year-old man of Mississauga has been charged with:
- Robbery with a Firearm
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (x2)
- Careless Storage of a Firearm (x2)
- Fail to Comply with Release Order
At the time of his arrest, Darnyl Campbell was bound by a judicial release order stemming from previous charges of Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence, Break and Enter (x8) and Possession of Stolen Property.
- Jamiel Smith, a 31-year-old man of Milton has been charged with:
- Robbery with a Firearm
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (x2)
- Careless Storage of a Firearm (x2)
- Fail to Comply with Release Order
At the time of his arrest, Jamiel Smith was bound by a judicial release order stemming from previous firearms and weapons related offences.
Kudzai Nyembe Mafohla, a 26-year-old man of no fixed address has been charged with:
- Robbery with a Firearm
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (x2)
- Careless Storage of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order
At the time of his arrest, Kudzai Nyembe Mafohla was bound by a weapons prohibition order stemming from a previous criminal code conviction.
Keenan Watson, a 31-year-old man of no fixed address has been charged with:
- Robbery with a Firearm
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (x2)
- Careless Storage of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order (x2)
At the time of his arrest, Keenan Watson was bound by three weapons prohibition orders stemming from previous convictions for firearms and drug related offences.
“Incredible work by our Central Robbery team and Tactical units in safely apprehending these violent culprits, all of whom were either on existing judicial release or weapons prohibition orders for violent offences,” says Inspector Sean Brennan – Financial Crime Services. “The multiple firearms and evidence seized are significant and posed a serious threat to communities throughout the GTA. Our members continue to work tirelessly to ensure public safety is our top priority.”
This investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact investigators with the Central Robbery Bureau at (905)453-2121 ext. 3410. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by visiting peelcrimestoppers.ca.
