A suspect in a Markham home invasion returned to the house several days later with an extortion letter — a situation where the victims have been caught in a case of mistaken identity, police say.
York Regional Police said in a news release that at around 10:25 p.m. on Aug. 13, the victims were at home in the area of Woodbine Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive East when the doorbell rang.
The homeowner opened the door and three males, one of them armed with a handgun, forced their way inside and demanded money, police said.
A second victim tried to contact police, at which point the suspects fled, officers added.
Nothing was taken from the home and no one was injured.
On Aug. 18, one of the suspects then returned to the home to deliver a “follow-up extortion letter,” police said.
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“Investigators believe the wrong home and victims were targeted,” the release said.
“These were just innocent people that have nothing to do with what they are targeted for,” Const. Lisa Moskaluk told Global News.
“They (the suspects) feel like that somebody owes somebody money, but they’re targeting the wrong people.”
Police said a suspect connected with the extortion letter was identified and on Thursday, a 47-year-old Toronto man was charged with extortion and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
He’s not believed to be the individual who allegedly delivered the letter. That suspect, along with two others, remain outstanding, Moskaluk said.
One suspect was described as a 40 to 50-year-old man with with salt and pepper hair who was wearing a surgical mask and gloves.
The other two suspects were described as 20 to 30-year-old men, one of whom is six-feet-tall and was wearing a white hooded sweater, a blue shirt, and dark pants.
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The other man was wearing a blue hooded sweater and dark pants.
Anyone with information was asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
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