Police have arrested three people they say are responsible for a string of armed bank robberies in Quebec and Ontario, including one in Cambridge on July 4th.
Daniel Loyer, 44, and Sylvain Belanger, 35, have been charged with three robberies in Laval and Vaudreuil, Quebec that took place between March and September of this year.
Police are still investigating their connection to four other armed robberies in Ontario.
On July 4th, two men walked into the TD Canada Trust on Hespeler Road in Cambridge just before the branch opened for the day. They had what was believed to be an explosive device. Police later determined the item they left behind was safe.
The two men were also linked to another robbery at TD Canada Trust bank in Sault Ste. Marie back on March 20th.
In that incident police say two masked men used a sledgehammer to break through the bank’s locked door. One of them allegedly had a handgun and ordered employees to their knees.
Police say there were similarities between the robberies.
The men wore masks in both incidents and they also used a stolen vehicle to flee the scene.
Police say the men allegedly got away with about $600,000 from all the robberies.
Loyer and Belanger remain in police custody. They have a bail hearing scheduled next week.
The third suspect has been released.
Anyone with information related to these robberies is asked to contact the Regional Investigations Unit of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Sûreté du Québec (SQ) at 1-450-662-INFO (4636).
