Canadian Crown attorney makes decision in Mitch Marner armed carjacking case

By Ankit Kumar

Modified May 11, 2024 17:59 GMT

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was the victim of a harrowing armed carjacking incident outside a movie theatre in May 2022. The incident garnered widespread attention, reflecting the rising auto theft crisis in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Nearly a year later, in March 2023, police arrested Christon Arman Johnson, 26, and Anas Adan Farah, 23, for their alleged involvement in the robbery.

However, there has been a surprising turn of events in the case. Reporter Rick Westhead shared on X:

"Now, court documents show a Crown attorney has withdrawn all charges against both men, telling a court there wasn't 'a reasonable prospect of conviction.'"

What was the carjacking incident involving Mitch Marner?

The armed carjacking occurred when Marner and his now-wife Stephanie LaChance were entering their black Land Rover outside an Etobicoke movie theatre.

Three suspects armed with handguns and a knife demanded the keys to Marner's vehicle. According to Sportsnet, they also demanded the cell phone from the Land Rover owner.

After the March 2023 arrest of the suspects, Mitch Marner had expressed to the media that the arrests brought him a sense of great relief,

“It’s nice to have the closure,” Marner said regarding the incident (via Sportsnet).

The police later recovered the car. However, Marner was not happy with what had happened.

"a very scary experience," Marner said about the carjacking experience.

More about the carjacking case involving Mitch Marner

The dropping of charges against Johnson and Farah has raised questions about the investigation and legal procedures. Prosecutors are not mandated to provide thorough justification for such decisions.

Marner, relieved by last year's arrests, is yet to comment on the recent events. His management declined to comment on the position of the Crown attorney.

The Toronto Police Service is still looking into the third suspect who participated in the armed carjacking. This further reinforces the troubling pattern of carjackings in Toronto where recent numbers have revealed that such crimes have spiked compared to past years.

Police data shows a surge of over 60% in carjackings in Toronto this year compared to the corresponding period last year, totaling 137 incidents.