Burka-wearing teens charged in north-end bank robbery

One of the suspects, aged 15, facing 12 charges

Two teens are facing charges after suspects disguised in burkas allegedly robbed a bank in the city’s north end last Saturday.

Two males walked into a bank in the Yonge Street and Highway 401 area around 3:25 p.m., according to police. Both were wearing disguises that resembled burkas. One of the suspects brandished a gun and demanded cash.

The two suspects then fled the scene by car. A police officer spotted the two “suspicious-looking males leaving the bank and get into a car, and reported his observations,” police said in a news release issued Wednesday afternoon.

Later Saturday afternoon, shortly before 5 p.m., police officers in Ajax spotted the getaway car and arrested the driver, believed to be one of the two robbery suspects.

On Tuesday, police spotted a boy who matched the second suspect’s description at a movie theatre in the Highway 404 and Sheppard Avenue East area. Police arrested the boy and found he was carrying a concealed firearm.

Jacob Frantzen, 19, of Ajax has been charged with robbery while armed and disguise with intent. He made his first court appearance on Sunday.

The second suspect, 15, who cannot be named, is facing 12 charges:

  • robbery while armed.
  • robbery with face disguised.
  • two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm.
  • six counts of fail to comply with recognizance.
  • carry concealed weapon.
  • mischief.

The teen had previously been convicted of five other robberies and was awaiting sentencing, police said.

He appeared in court on Wednesday.

A follow-up call to police about how much money was stolen and whether it has been recovered was not immediately returned.

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