Two suspects in break-ins on rue de l’Oasis arrested

Taylor Clark

The watchful eye of a citizen led the Gatineau police to arrest two male suspects for allegedly breaking into sheds on February 11. The investigation was later linked to a series of similar crimes that occurred the day before in the same area.

The suspects targeted sheds located in the backyards of condo buildings on rue de l’Oasis in the Gatineau sector on the evenings of February 10 and 11.

“They also allegedly took advantage of their presence on the premises to steal various objects and accessories from the vehicles of residents of these same buildings,” read the press release from the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau.

When the individuals returned to the same area the following night, a citizen noticed an unknown vehicle that they recalled having seen at the time of the thefts the day before and contacted the emergency centre to report its presence.

Once the police were on the scene, two males who were in the suspect vehicle were arrested. The investigation led the police to discover the two were able to commit three break-ins to sheds before their arrival.

While the case was still under investigation, public relations agent Patrick Kenney said there were a total of five break-ins committed by the individuals.

The two suspects were transported to the police station where they met with investigators. A search warrant was later authorized, and a residence located around the boulevards of Maloney Est and Lorrain was raided. Investigators recovered several items that had been stolen the previous day.

One of the suspects, a 49-year-old man from Gatineau, was released on promise to appear. Charges relating to break-ins and possession of property obtained by crime will be submitted against him to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions.

The other suspect, a 31-year-old man also from Gatineau, appeared before the Court of Quebec on February 12 and continued to be detained for his release investigation scheduled for February 13 at the Gatineau courthouse. The individual is facing charges of breaking and entering, failing to comply with a probation order, and possession of drugs.

The Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau’s portail sur la criminalité showed that the scene of the crime had seen four break-and-enter incidents within the same area since 2022.

Victims of a break-in or those who witness one are invited to contact the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau by phone at (819) 246-0222 or 911 for an emergency.

For those wanting to take precautions, the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau offered break-and-enter safety tips like having a well-lit exterior and not leaving tools or objects around that could be used for an easier break-in.

“Even though these systems can be very expensive and cannot guarantee total immunity against this type of crime, equipping your home or business with an alarm system and surveillance cameras can be very deterrent for thieves, in addition to being able to provide good evidence in the event of a theft,” read the release.

Photo captions: Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau make two arrests in connection to break-ins along rue de l’Oasis from February 10 to 11. 

Photo credit: Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau Facebook