(Quebec) Five people were arrested in Quebec early Tuesday following the theft of a vehicle in the residential district of Charlesbourg.
Police officers from the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) were called to intervene around 3 a.m. when a resident allegedly saw hooded individuals being dropped from a vehicle.
“The suspects allegedly smashed the rear window of a sport utility vehicle and then stole it,” the police force said in a press release.
Following the report, SPVQ officers intercepted the suspect vehicle and found the stolen vehicle nearby.
Five men, aged 18 to 21, were arrested for receiving stolen goods and vehicle theft. They were to be met by investigators Tuesday morning.
The suspects have similar backgrounds in this area, said the SPVQ.
Vehicle theft is on the rise across the country. On Sunday, the federal government announced that it would hold a national summit on February 8 in Ottawa to combat vehicle theft.
The event will bring together various municipal and provincial police forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canada Border Services Agency and automobile manufacturers, in the hope of identifying short and long term solutions to the problem.