Patrons, staff thwart armed kidnapping outside Vaughan restaurant

Restaurant patrons and employees thwarted the armed kidnapping of a man and woman in a plaza parking lot in Vaughan Friday night.

York Regional Police investigators are seeking two men and appealing for witnesses after the attack, which they believe was targeted, outside a restaurant March 3 at 9:50 p.m.

A man and woman, both 32, had left the restaurant at a plaza at Weston Road and Crestmount Boulevard and as they approached their vehicle in the parking lot, they were confronted by two masked men armed with guns, police said in a news release.

After they were threatened and thrown to the ground, the male victim was struck with a gun. The suspects ordered the victims to go with them, but were interrupted by employees and patrons who came out of the restaurant to check on the commotion, police said.

The suspects, dressed all in black, then fled in a black Mercedes-Benz sedan, last seen travelling south on Weston.

The victims sustained minor physical injuries during the assault.

Investigators are hoping that members of the public have dashcam or other video recordings of the suspects and their vehicle. Police are urging witnesses who have not yet come forward to do so, and are asking anyone with information about this crime to contact police as soon as possible at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7441, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, leave an anonymous tip online.