Police say they have arrested four men and are looking for another in connection with a string of bank robberies in Ontario that spanned nearly two years and netted more than $2 million.

Eight banks were robbed between Dec. 8, 2022 and March 16, 2024, in areas controlled by the OPP, Barrie Police, Belleville Police, Durham Police, Niagara Police and York Police, the OPP said in a news release Tuesday.

The robberies involved two or three people who entered the banks before they closed, the statement said. They wore different masks and clothing for each robbery.

The OPP released security footage from a robbery in Ferversham, Ontario on May 19, 2023, showing a person entering the bank wearing a cowboy hat and a white face covering and brandishing a gun. They are followed into the bank by another person, wearing a ghost mask.

The person wearing the cowboy hat is seen putting the gun down on a counter to rummage through a bank drawer. Both individuals later leave the building carrying a red bag.

At least one gun was displayed during all of the robberies, but no one was injured, the OPP said. In the last six robberies, bank employees were tied up.

Witnesses ‘suffered significant emotional distress’

About 20 people were inside the banks at the time of the robberies, OPP Assistant Commissioner Marty Kearns said at a news conference Tuesday.

“Although no physical injuries occurred, the individuals caught up in these terrifying endeavors suffered significant emotional distress and trauma,” Kearns said.

The OPP said the group is responsible for more than $2 million in reported losses. The money has not yet been recovered, they said.

Kearns said individual police services investigated the robberies in their jurisdiction, but soon realized they were not isolated incidents.

“Rather, these interconnected robberies indicated a larger and more coordinated operation,” he said.

The OPP’s Criminal Investigations Branch became involved in the investigation to boost coordination between police services, he said.

Investigators used patterns to identify similar robberies in other jurisdictions, Kearns said. The police investigation has “thwarted” a ninth bank robbery, he said.

On June 21 of this year, the OPP arrested three men during an attempted robbery in Field, Ont.

A 25-year-old man from Oshawa, a 24-year-old man from Ajax and a 32-year-old man from Coburg, Ont., have each been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, a frame of judgment. of robbery with violence and one count of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.

The 32-year-old also faces multiple firearms charges, as well as four counts of forcible confinement and disguise with intent.

A fourth man, a 29-year-old man from Whitby, was arrested in Vaughan by the OPP and York police on September 25. He faces multiple firearms charges and one count each of conspiracy to commit an indictable felony, disguise with intent, robbery with violence and forcible confinement.

The 32-year-old man from Ajax remains wanted

Police said a fifth man, a 32-year-old from Ajax, has been charged but remains wanted. OPP Det.-Insp. Brian McDermott said the man is not believed to be in Ontario.

He was charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit an indictable felony, forcible confinement, disguise with intent, and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, as well as several firearms-related charges. Fire.

Anyone who knows his whereabouts is asked to stay away from him and contact police immediately, McDermott said.

The five accused men face a total of 53 charges.

Police said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact their local police, OPP or leave an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers.