Two Barrie men among five alleged Oshawa jewelry store thieves taken down by shoppers

Two Barrie men remain behind bars 15 days after shoppers helped tackle and subdue would-be thieves following an Oshawa mall jewelry store robbery.

Two Barrie, Ont., men remain behind bars 15 days after shoppers helped tackle and subdue would-be thieves following an Oshawa mall jewelry store robbery.

Coulton Peters-McComb, 22, and Ryan MacPhail, 40, are among five accused in the March 29 mid-afternoon smash-and-grab at Bellagio Jewellers in the Oshawa Centre.

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Cellphone videos, from shoppers inside the mall, recorded men tackling and applying a chokehold to allow police and security guards to handcuff the suspects.

MacPhail, listed by Durham Regional Police as being of no fixed address, also faces older charges in Barrie, accused of assault and uttering threats. He has appeared in court with a black eye, crying in the days that followed his arrest.

Police said at least one of the accused used bear spray in the robbery. Another individual, masked and dressed in black, was seen running out of the mall, leading to a dramatic chase that ended in a nearby plaza parking lot that was captured on camera.

With help from the K-9 unit, investigators revealed, officers chased down the remaining suspects within moments of the jewelry store robbery.

Police confirmed three co-accused, an 18-, 17- and 15-year-old from Mississauga and Brampton, were arrested, including the alleged getaway driver, who was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

Police said Peters-McComb has been charged with robbery, possession of a prohibited weapon, wearing a disguise with intent, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and four counts of possession of Schedule One drugs.

• Barrie man among five charged in smash-and-grab robbery at Oshawa mall

MacPhail faces many of the same charges, along with failing to comply with probation orders. Police said he was already banned from having weapons on him.

The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.