Boys, 14 and 15, charged in violent armed robbery of jewelry store in Mississauga

Two young teens from Toronto and a Markham man face charges in connection with the violent armed robbery of a jewelry store in Mississauga.

One of the youths arrested by Peel Regional Police on Tuesday, a 15-year-old boy, is also charged in relation to a spree of armed robberies in Peel since August that targeted currency exchange locations, another jewelry store and a pharmacy.

Police didn’t say which of those heists took place in Mississauga and which occurred in Brampton.

All three suspects — a 14-year-old Toronto boy and 23-year-old Markham man in addition to the 15-year-old — have been charged in the Sept. 8 armed robbery of a Mavis and Britannia roads area jewelry store in Mississauga.

Robbery investigators with Peel police say at least eight culprits, several armed with guns, burst into the store just before 5 p.m. They forced customers and the store owners to lie on the ground while they “stole a significant quantity of jewelry and money,” police said.

The robbers then fled the store and left the area in two stolen vehicles, according to investigators.

No physical injuries were reported.

The Markham man was arrested last Saturday while the two teens were taken into custody on Tuesday.

Israel Brathwaite, 23, of Markham, and a 14-year-old Toronto boy are each charged with robbery. The youth also faces a charge of wearing a disguise with intent.

A 15-year-old Toronto boy is charged with five counts of robbery, four counts wearing a disguise with intent and fail to comply with release order.

At the time of his arrest, the 15-year-old youth was already on a form of release in relation to previous robbery charges, police said.

The two youths cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Police said three stolen vehicles and numerous offence-related property items were recovered during the course of their investigation.

The investigation remains ongoing and police say more charges could be laid.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact police at 905-453-2121, ext. 3410, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.