Top stories of the week: ‘brazen’ Kitchener theft, Grand River drowning, and jewelry theft prevention

Video stills of the suspects who stole booze from the Pioneer Park branch of the LCBO in Kitchener, Ont. (Source: WRPS)

Premier calls out ‘brazen’ LCBO theft at Kitchener, Ont. store

Premier Doug Ford called the men who stole thousands of dollars of booze from an LCBO store in Kitchener, Ont. a “brazen bunch of crooks.”

The theft happened at the Pioneer Park location on Aug. 23. Six men walked into the store around 4:30 p.m., grabbed bottles off the shelves and shoved the alcohol into large bags.

The incident was filmed by another customer in the store who later posted it, anonymously, on social media.

In the video, three of the men could be seen calmly filling the bags. They also appeared unfazed by the camera filming the theft and their uncovered faces.

The suspects were last seen leaving the area in a dark-coloured SUV.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service said most of the stolen bottles were scotch and the value of their haul was an estimated $8,000.

This theft, they added, was far from an isolated incident.

Investigators are now working with the LCBO and other police departments to determine if the theft is related to similar incidents in other communities.

Brampton man drowns after jumping off bridge into the Grand River

Ontario Provincial Police say a Brampton man drowned Sunday, Aug. 24 in Elora.

Emergency responders were called to the Bissell Park bridge around 6:30 p.m. to help search for a missing person in the Grand River.

They learned a 29-year-old had jumped off the bridge and into the water but never resurfaced.

Rescuers found him in the Grand River but he died at the scene.

“Unknown reason why but that’s all we know at this time,” said Const. Matthew Burton with Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police. “He was found several meters, if that, a certain distance far away from the original location of the bridge”

OPP said the man’s name would not be released out of respect for his family.

The incident was determined not to be suspicious by the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.

Good Samaritan reports arson at Kitchener restaurant

Samrat and Hima Patel say a stranger saved their Kitchener restaurant from going up in flames.

Security video showed a man outside The Biryani Barrel on King Street East around 4:30 a.m. Sunday.

In the video, the man could be seen setting a fire in a planter on the restaurant’s patio. He then watched the flames for a while before walking away.

“He tried to burn everything that he could,” said Hima.

A passerby just happened to spot the growing fire.

“The gentleman was driving around the building,” Hima explained. “He reported it and stayed until the firemen and the cops came.”

The couple praised the quick action by the Good Samaritan who left before they could thank them in person.

The Patels also appreciated the support of their customers.

No one was hurt in the fire and the only damage was to the restaurant’s planter and some wooden flooring beneath it.

Waterloo Regional Police said a 39-year-old man was arrested a short time after the fire. He was charged with three counts of arson and one count of possession of incendiary material.

Stratford searching for swans

The City of Stratford said some of their iconic swans are unaccounted for.

“We believe we have six swans that have wandered [away], and we don’t use tracking devices on our swans,” Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma said.

According to the city, sometimes the swans leave the main river system and travel to nearby tributaries, parks, stormwater ponds or even the golf courses.

The birds may have been inspired to seek greener pastures due to a recent problem along Lake Victoria and the Avon River, where water levels have been lower than normal after a sluice gate was jammed open by storm debris. Although the gate is once again working, it will take time, and some significant rain, for water levels to return to normal.

The city asked residents to help keep an eye out for the wayward birds. Staff were able to find one swan thanks to a tip from someone who had spotted it within the city.

The mayor said the swans are an important part of the community, not just for residents that live in the city, but also for visitors.

‘You can’t steal what you can’t see’: New anti-theft device installed at Ancaster, Ont. jewelry store

An Ontario jewelry store stepped up its security measures after a violent armed robbery in December 2024.

Ancaster Jewellers installed a ‘smoke screen’ system that would flood their store, within seconds, with a thick fog.

“If the ‘Hold-up’ button is pushed, they automatically disperse for 30 seconds with a non-toxic water vapour,” explained owner Jean-Pierre Verbunt. “It’s very dense. You can’t see your hand from your face, so you can’t steal what you can’t see.”

The new system comes less than nine months after thieves targeted the store in a violent smash-and-grab robbery.

The smoke screen is just the latest security measure added at Ancaster Jewellers.

While Verbunt knows they will not stop all armed robberies, he’s hopeful the new system will deter any potential criminals.