After chasing robbery suspects from Newcastle, police from Durham, Toronto and the OPP arrested two of the three suspects after they crashed their vehicle on Avenue Road south of the 401. Two of the suspects were nabbed after they fled to an Old Orchard Grove residence while one suspect is still at large. Jan. 9, 2009
Wild chase leads to arrest
CLARINGTON -- A wild police chase beginning in Newcastle and running through Durham at extremely high speeds ended in Toronto with arrests of two of three men wanted for a string of Lindsay-area robberies.
The chase kicked off late Friday, after Mike's Place in Newcastle was robbed at about 10:30 p.m. Three men -- one armed with a knife -- went into the store and cash, lottery tickets and cigarettes were stolen.
They left in a silver vehicle that headed west on Hwy. 401 westbound, a media release from Durham Regional Police said.
Shortly thereafter, a vehicle matching the description was located by DRPS helicopter Air 1. Because the car was travelling so quickly, police on the ground were kept at a distance for safety reasons.
The vehicle drove through Durham, eventually getting off the highway and travelling the streets of Whitby, Ajax and Pickering, the DRPS media release said. It eventually got back on the highway and got off at Avenue Road in Toronto.
Officers in Air 1 were able to see suspects getting out of the vehicle and taking off on foot. Two broke into a nearby residence and between them, Durham Regional and Toronto Police tactical units were able to catch them. The third remains at large and police have issued a warrant for his arrest.
All three were wanted on warrants from police in the Lindsay area, in connection with a string of robberies in that area.
A release from Kawartha Lakes OPP said arrest warrants had been issued Friday for Justin Battle, 25, Corey Crockatt, 27, and Karl Battle, 24, all of Oakwood, a small village near Lindsay. Officers had gone to a Hwy. 7 home Friday looking for them, but did not find the men.
The three faced numerous charges in connection with the armed robberies at Manilla General Store on Jan. 5, and the Killarney Bay Variety store, north of Lindsay, on Jan. 7. They were also facing charges in connection with an armed robbery in Cannington in December.
Durham Police have Mr. Crockatt -- formerly known as Corey Battle -- and Karl Battle in custody, Kawartha Lakes OPP spokesman Constable Mark Boileau said.
The two are jointly charged with robbery in disguise and break, enter and assault in connection with the Newcastle robbery. Mr. Crockatt is also facing driving-related charges.
One man, Justin Battle, is still on the lam and is believed to be armed and dangerous. He's wanted for robbery in disguise.
The three are expected to be charged in connection with robberies in Cannington, Manilla and Fenelon Falls, police said.
Hours after the Toronto takedown, the Manilla store was robbed again, this time by a lone man wearing a balaclava, an OPP media release said. No weapon was seen during that robbery.
"I can't speculate to say if the (most recent) Manilla robbery is related to the other incidents," Const. Boileau said Monday afternoon.