Two charged in theft of car from Pickering Casino

The theft of a car from the Pickering Casino has resulted in charges for two men from Toronto.

A Durham Police officer was out on patrol around the casino at 888 Durham Live Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on June 30. He noticed a suspicious vehicle in the casino parking garage and confirmed it had been reported stolen.

He then boxed the car in so it couldn’t leave the garage. Two people sprang out of the car and tried to leg it. However, the officer pursued the pair and managed to arrest one of them.

However, the second slipped away and a K-9 Unit was called in to track them down. The dog found a suspect a short time later. In searching the car, police say they found a stun gun, unspecified drugs and several GPS tracker devices.

One suspect was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The other was unhurt. Both have since been released from custody with conditions.

Shemar Thorne and Terrel Rose, both 22 of Toronto, are both charged with possession of proceeds obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, obstructing a peace officer, and possession of a schedule 1 substance.

Anyone with information can call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 3849 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The Pickering Casino has become something of a hotbed for crime since its opening in April 2023. Most recently, a table card dealer was charged with colluding with gamblers to rig games and defraud the casino. A month prior, two women were charged with leaving three children (10, 9 and 2) alone in a car while they gambled for more than four hours.

The most shocking crime at the casino occured in October 2023 when security guard Michael Ferdinand was shot and killed. The casino had refused entry to a group of impaired patrons who allegedly returned and opened fire inside, striking Ferdinand. He succumbed to his injuries a short time later.

A 17-year-old boy was later identified as the primary suspect. The courts took the unusal step of publically identifiying the boy for a short time in an attempt to find him. Typically, the identities of minors accused of crimes are protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Prior to Ferdinand’s murder, a woman was violently carjacked of her Austin Martin in July 2023.