York Regional Police say the attempted theft of a dog in King Township on Wednesday afternoon is likely linked to a similar incident that occurred in Mississauga on the same day.
Police say the seller of a Maltese Poodle went to a carpool lot in the area of Highway 400 and Highway 9 to meet a potential buyer at around 4 p.m.
According to investigators, the seller was assaulted by two suspects, who unsuccessfully attempted to steal the poodle.
The two suspects fled in a white, older model Honda Civic.
“Police ask that anyone conducting online sales/purchases to use an abundance of caution before an exchange and apply effective safety measures to avoid being victimized,” police said in a tweet.
“This incident is likely related to a similar occurrence in Mississauga where a firearm was used to threaten the victim.”
About an hour after the attempted robbery in King Township, police said a puppy was stolen at gunpoint in Mississauga.
Peel police say the seller of a puppy met two men in the area of Lakeshore Road West and Lorne Park Road at around 5 p.m.
As the transaction was about to begin, one of the suspects brandished a black handgun and demanded that the victim hand over the puppy.
The victim complied and surrendered the dog to the suspects, who then fled.
The victim was not physically injured.
The puppy is described as a white Maltese Poodle who is approximately nine weeks old.
The suspects in both cases were described as young males who are in their late teens or early 20s.
Police also said that in both incidents, one of the suspects was wearing green pants.
