An armed bank robbery in Courtice led to a chase and dangerous situation for responding officers. In the spring of 2018, two suspects armed with handguns entered the Scotiabank branch on Highway 2 in Courtice in the middle of the afternoon. The suspects made a demand for cash and then fled the scene.
Responding officers located the suspect vehicle with three occupants and pursued it to the Highway 401 on-ramp at Stevenson Road in Oshawa. Police were able to stop the suspect vehicle and box it in. However, the suspect vehicle attempted to flee from police by striking the police cruisers. At one point, a DRPS officer discharged his firearm as the vehicle drove towards him. The suspect vehicle managed to break free and continued westbound on Highway 401 before losing control and ending up in a ditch just east of the Salem Road off-ramp in Ajax.
The three suspects then fled on foot into a wooded area. A handgun was located in the suspect vehicle and a replica firearm was located near the on-ramp. A short time later, police officers located two suspects hiding in a residential neighbourhood in Ajax. The third suspect was arrested following the investigation.
