There are 145,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot going on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days.
***Please note that not all offenses and police calls are reported in the daily Guelph Police media release.
Assault
A 50-year-old Guelph man was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose on Thursday after an argument over an electric scooter turned into a physical altercation. One of the men was stabbed in the neck and began to bleed profusely. He sought care at a nearby medical building, where staff called 9-1-1. The victim, a 41-year-old Guelph man, was transported to a Hamilton trauma centre in serious condition. If you have any information send an email to the Major Case Unit at mcu [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Police are investigating after several reports of Halloween trick-or-treaters being shot with pellets in the east end Thursday night. At Morningcrest Park at 8:15 pm, a 12-year-old girl and her friend were shot with plastic pellets from an Airsoft gun and while police were talking to witnesses in the area, the mother of a six-year-old boy said he and some friends were in the park when a group of men approached and asked if they had any candy before shooting them several times. There were approximately 10 males, all wearing gorilla costumes except one who was wearing a ghillie suit. If you have any information, call Constable Carson Skipper at 519-824-1212, ext. 7283, email cskipper [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Similarly, two women were shot in the face with pellets while driving Wednesday evening in the area of Riverside Park on Woodlawn Road. Both complainants said they were driving with their windows down when they heard several shots; three people were struck in the head and the face with pellets. One person saw a man hiding behind a light post and another chased the suspect, who ran into Riverside Park. He was described as a white male, approximately 15 years old and wearing black clothing. If you have any information, call Constable Emily Richardson at 519-824-1212, ext. 7486, email erichardson [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Just after 7 pm on Tuesday, police were called for a report of several people fighting outside Stone Road Mall. A couple confronted the male acquaintance of the woman they suspected had smashed the window of their car. The man punched the husband in the face and brandished a large knife during the confrontation. The first suspect was described as a black female, 5’2” with an athletic build, short hair and a nose piercing. The second was a black male, 5’9” with a thin build, very long braided hair and wearing a black sweater and jeans. They fled in a black Ford Fusion with Quebec licence plates. If you have any information contact Constable Cameron Keddie at 519-824-1212, ext. 7431, email ckeddie [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 26-year-old Georgetown man was charged with assault with a weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose after he pulled a knife on staff at a downtown establishment when they removed him early Friday morning.
A 74-year-old Guelph man was charged with sexual assault after a woman in her 50s boarded a bus in the south end and sat beside a man not known to her. The man twice touched her inappropriately. The victim was not physically injured.
A 64-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of assault, assault with a weapon, assault police and being intoxicated in a public place on Monday afternoon after a man swung his fist at a security guard at a downtown business and then drove at him with his mobility scooter though no contact was made. This same man also punched an employee in the face at a different business while uttering racial slurs, and then tried to headbutt the arresting officer.
A 40-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, break and enter to commit an indictable offence and failing to comply with a release order after a man was assaulted in his home last Friday. Two men forced their way inside a residence near Dawson and Shelldale, one was seen on video in possession of a knife, and they struck a man several times with a baseball bat, causing minor injuries. A 48-year-old Guelph man was also arrested and charged with assault causing bodily harm, break and enter to commit an indictable offence and two counts of breaching probation. He was held for a bail hearing Monday.
Break-Ins
Guelph Police are trying to identify a man involved in break-ins at two south-end businesses last month. On September 7 at 6 am near Clair and Gordon, a business was entered through a rear door that had been pried open and a quantity of cash and a laptop were stolen; a few hours later a rear door was pried open at a business at Stone and Scottsdale where a tip jar containing cash was stolen and an attempted was made to break into a cash register, and damaging it. The suspect was described in both incidents as a male wearing red shoes, brown pants, a black hoodie with unknown logo, black gloves, a grey hat and a green or grey Adidas backpack with red or orange logo. It is believed he arrived in a white SUV. If you have any information call Detective Sergeant Ian Smith of the Break Enter Auto Theft Unit at 519-824-1212, ext. 7125, or email ismith [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Police are requesting assistance from homeowners in the area with video camera footage between the hours of 12 am and 2 am last Saturday for Hall Avenue, Dominion Drive, Duck Lane, Ray Crescent, and Goodwin Drive. A group of individuals brandishing firearms broke into a residence near Dominion and Hall where they confronted the homeowners and stole a car. There were no injuries resulting from this incident. The vehicle was later recovered abandoned in Hamilton. Police believe this was a targeted incident and there is no concern for public safety. If you have any information, call Detective Constable Scott Biser at 519-824-1212, ext. 7131, or email sbiser [at] guelphpolice.ca.
The Guelph Police Service is investigating after four motorcycles were stolen during a break-in. At around 7:40 am last Friday police were called to a home in the west end where entry was gained to the garage by smashing a side window. Three KTM and one Suzuki dirt bike were stolen, as well as a helmet and several tie-down straps. If you have any information, call Constable Justin Garbutt at 519-824-1212, ext. 7596, email jgarbutt [at] guelphpolice.ca.
Drugs
A 41-year-old Guelph man was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon and breaching a probation order on Thursday afternoon. A man was observed carrying a large amount of cash and a pipe contaminated with residue from controlled substances. He was stopped and placed under arrest. A search incident to arrest revealed quantities of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia and a large folding knife on his person.
A 26-year-old Guelph man was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possessing controlled substances and failing to comply with a probation order after an undercover operation downtown where an officer met with a man twice in St. George’s Square and each time purchased fentanyl.
A 37-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of trafficking a controlled substance after he was observed weighing crack cocaine on a digital scale with an alleged intent to sell. A search incident to arrest revealed more controlled substances in his possession.
Since the beginning of 2023, Guelph Police say that they have been involved in more than 35 separate drug trafficking investigations related to the downtown leading to the arrest of more than 80 individuals and the laying of more than 460 charge
Fraud
On September 21, a woman in her 80s called police to report that she had been a victim of a distraction theft. She had come home from shopping and a woman asked for a glass of water. The victim was suspicious and told the woman to wait outside while she retrieved a drink. She brought her wallet inside and put it on the counter, and while talking to the woman for a lengthy amount of time on the front porch, a second person entered the house through an unlocked side door and remove the victim’s cards from her wallet, which were used to withdraw $4,500 in cash and make more than $1,000 in purchases from a business on Woodlawn Road West.
The woman was described as white, mid-30s, medium build, average height and long black hair. She was carrying a box during the interaction. Police would like to talk to the two people pictured above so if you recognise them call Constable Abdullah Eidokheil at 519-824-1212, ext. 7415, or email aeidokheil [at] guelphpolice.ca.
If you think you might be a victim of any fraud, call the Guelph Police Non-Emergency line is 519-824-5154, or contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at their website.
Impaired Driving
A 21-year-old Guelph man was charged with impaired driving, refusing to provide a breath sample and failing to remain at a collision on Wednesday morning after a vehicle struck a sign at York and Wyndham. Officers located the heavily-damaged vehicle stopped near Downey and Niska with one of its front tires missing, the drive had a strong odour of alcohol on his breath, was unsteady on his feet and was wearing his sweater inside out. He refused to provide a breath sample.
A 43-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired driving after an intoxicated man was seen leaving a west-end business in his vehicle last Friday evening. Tests revealed he had more than four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.
An 18-year-old Flamborough man is charged with impaired driving after police were called to a parking lot on the University of Guelph campus Sunday morning. A member of the Campus Safety Office stopped a suspected impaired driver.
Theft
Police are looking for a man who took a Samsung Galaxy S22 display model from its bracket in the Freedom Mobile store in Stone Road Mall just after 6 pm on October 11. The phone was valued at $1,100. He was described as a white male, early 30s, 5’6” with black hair and full facial hair, and he was wearing a red parka, ball cap and jeans. Anyone who recognizes the male or has other information is asked to call Detective Sergeant Chris Probst at 519-824-1212, ext. 7342, or email cprobst [at] guelphpolice.ca.
On Monday the owner of a north-end business reported a customer’s black 2017 Cadillac XTS had been stolen. The owner dropped it off Sunday afternoon, and placed the keys in a drop box. Surveillance video showed a man arriving at the business at 6:24 am Monday and approaching the key box with something in his hand. He was described as a white male in his 20s, medium height with a thin build. He was wearing a black hoody pulled over his face, dark jeans, dark running shoes, black gloves and sunglasses. He arrived in a white Audi SUV. If you have any information, call Constable Jonathan Schleen at 519-824-1212, ext. 7570, email jschleen [at] guelphpolice.ca.
A 32-year-old Brampton man was charged with theft over $5,000 and failing to comply with a release order after being arrested by another police service and returned to Guelph on Wednesday. The charges stem from a January 28 incident where two men entered a business on Woodlawn Road and stole $8,000 worth of merchandise. Both suspect were currently on release orders with conditions not to be together, and were suspects in a number of thefts across Ontario.
Two Toyota Tundra pickups stolen from Guelph on September 23 and October 6 have been recovered at the Port of Montreal. One truck was stolen from an east-end driveway the early morning of September 23, and the other from a south-end residence the early morning of October 6. Both thefts remain under investigation.
A 37-year-old Alberta man is charge with two counts of possessing stolen property under $5,000 and driving while suspended for an October 4 report about a a suspicious vehicle parked on Quebec Street that turned out to be a stolen 2005 Ford pickup with stolen licence plates. Last week, police found video that confirmed this man was driving the stolen truck and arrested him.
Traffic
One morning earlier this week, police received a report that a Chevrolet SUV parked at Grange and Hagan had been struck overnight. Based on evidence at the scene, the suspect vehicle is believed to be a black BMW X-3 which will have damage to the front passenger side. If you have any information, contact Constable Michael Braga via email at mbraga [at] guelphpolice.ca.
An 18-year-old woman was charged with careless driving Wednesday afternoon after a 20-year-old woman was struck crossing Victoria Road at Eastview by a vehicle that ran a red light.
Other Notes
Nothing else to report.
Total calls for service last week: 1,529
If you have any information about the crimes or incidents mentioned above, you can also call Guelph Wellington Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or post online at csgw.tips.
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