Kitchener man recounts car theft while cleaning out vehicle
Waterloo regional police are investigating a car theft they say happened while the owner was vacuuming out their vehicle.
At around 3:40 p.m. Friday, police received a report of a stolen vehicle from a parking lot at 2420 Homer Watson Boulevard.
Olinto Rojas, 67, told CTV News he left his car running while cleaning it out just outside of a gas station, when a man came up, assaulted him, hopped in the car and drove off.
His son Juan Rojas, who interpreted for his father, said he was shocked by what happened.
"Some guy just ran inside the car so my dad started saying ‘hey this is my car this is my car’ and the guy started saying ‘no this is my car this is my car’ so instantly my dad was noticing this guy wants to take the car," said Juan. "My dad says a lot of people saw and they were the ones who called police.
"I was glad that he was alive, I was glad that he was okay."
Const. Andre Johnson with the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) said they've been seeing an increase in auto thefts throughout the region.
"That driver weaved through heavy traffic and ran a red light and was last seen travelling on Homer Watson Boulevard towards the 401. We are continuing to investigate, “said Const. Johnson.
He adds that the latest have been a rash of stolen Dodge Rams in Guelph, Cambridge and Brantford.
"We are seeing an uptick in crime throughout the region and this would count towards that," said Const. Johnson. "It was in broad daylight in a very busy area and again the owner was right there so it is quite concerning just how rapidly and how quickly these events could unfold."
Juan says the suspect came out swinging at his father and is happy he wasn't seriously hurt.
"He was scared, and to this moment he's still shocked, he's still scared, and he didn't sleep well last night at all," said Juan. "I'm used to it being more in the GTA, you still hear more [about it] in the GTA but now that stuff is coming here, robberies, armed robberies, so it's frightening because that's not what Kitchener used to be like."
Juan said it will now be a waiting game if police will be able to locate the vehicle.
"Even if he got away, even if he got his car back that's all he really wants to be able to go to work with his car," said Juan.
The investigation remains ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information or video footage to contact them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.