Two men charged following daylight Hamilton carjacking

Hamilton police have arrested and charged two men after a daylight carjacking that left a 62-year-old woman injured.

On Monday at around 8:38 a.m., officers responded to a shopping plaza at 86 Mall Rd. near Lime Ridge Mall after receiving reports that a woman had been attacked and her vehicle was stolen.

Investigators say the woman had just arrived at the plaza and was removing items from her vehicle when she was approached by two men.

Detectives say one of the men grabbed the woman’s purse and demanded her vehicle keys. During the struggle, the woman was placed in a headlock and thrown to the ground before the suspects took her purse and fled in her vehicle.

Officers say the victim sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital.

Police say the stolen vehicle was equipped with GPS tracking, allowing them to quickly track its movements through the city.

READ MORE: OPP recover 17 stolen vehicles in Hagersville bust, charge two suspects

Investigators say about 15 minutes after the carjacking, they located the vehicle at a gas station on King Street. 

As officers moved in, the driver fled in the stolen vehicle, striking a marked police cruiser in the process. The passenger attempted to flee on foot but was arrested by officers after a short foot pursuit.

Police say they continued tracking the stolen vehicle and located it abandoned in the area of Belmont Avenue. Officers located the second suspect nearby and placed him under arrest.

Hamilton police have charged Abdulrahman Al, 21, and Hussain Yahya Jawad, 23,  both of Hamilton, with several charges including robbery, motor vehicle theft with violence used and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Both of the accused were held for a bail hearing.

Officers are asking anyone with information about this investigation including video surveillance or dash-camera footage to contact investigators at CID30@hamiltonpolice.ca. 

For those who wish to provide information anonymously, Crime Stoppers can be contacted at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online.

READ MORE: Police seek suspect linked to four Hamilton commercial robberies