Region of Peel – Investigators from the Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF) and Peel Regional Police Central Robbery Bureau (CRB) have charged a 35-year-old man after an armed carjacking in Mississauga.
It is alleged that on Wednesday, December 19, 2023, at 11:45 p.m., the victim, a 34-year-old woman from Mississauga, was in a parking lot near Queen Frederica Drive and Bloor Street in Mississauga. At this time, the suspect, armed with a firearm, approached her and made a demand for her vehicle. Fearing for her safety, the victim complied, and the suspect drove away in her car. The victim did not sustain any physical injuries as a result of the robbery.
As a result of the quick and co-ordinated efforts of investigators from the PCJTF and CRB the suspect was located a short distance away. With the assistance of the Peel Regional Police Tactical Unit, he was taken into custody without incident. At the time of the arrest, the suspect had an edged weapon and a replica firearm that were seized by police. The victim’s vehicle has been recovered.
Michael Birchall, a 35-year-old man from Mississauga, is charged with the following offences:
- Robbery
- Use imitation firearm while committing an offence
- Possession of property obtained by crime (X 2)
- Fail to comply with release order
- Breach of undertaking
He appeared in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton for a bail hearing.
As a result of the rising incidents of violence related to auto crimes across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), local police services have combined resources and established a provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF) to further co-ordinate law enforcement efforts in combating these crimes.
This collaborative approach aims to disrupt the networks responsible for violent and high-risk auto thefts and maximize enforcement efforts against criminal organizations.
Co-led by the Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police, the task force is a collaboration between police services from across the GTA, including York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service, Peel Regional Police, and other external agencies, including Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario.
