Five Montreal teens facing charges related to vehicle thefts in Ottawa

A group of teenagers from Montreal are facing charges after an off-duty police officer noticed some suspicious activity in Ottawa's Chapel Hill South area.

The officer spotted a vehicle idling in front of a house near Navan Road and Orléans Boulevard around 11:10 p.m. on Tuesday, August 17. At the same time he noticed a newer Lexus SUV in the driveway, so he contacted police.

Officers in the area were able to stop the suspicious vehicle soon after the call and they recovered key fobs, computers and electronic devices consistent with vehicle thefts.

Luckendy Leon, 18, Thyson-Roodee Joseph, 18, Johnny Sime, 19, Elhadji Abdoul Ngaido, 18, and a 15-year-old boy, all from Montreal, were charged with:

• Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence
• Theft of a motor vehicle
• Possession of an automobile master key
• Possession of a device to obtain computer service or use of computer system

All five were released with conditions and are scheduled to appear in court at a later date. 

The Ottawa Police Service is reminding residents to take precaution in order to protect their vehicles. 

Any Lexus/Toyota SUV owners that notice new or fresh damage to the driver’s side door handle or observe someone taking photos of their dashboard Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), are asked to report it.

Anyone with information about the incident in Chapel Hill South is asked to contact the Ottawa Police East Criminal Investigations Unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 3566.

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.