Police searching for two suspects, SUV allegedly involved in East York ATM explosion

Toronto police have released images of two men as well as an SUV they believe were involved in the attempted theft of an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in East York over the weekend.

The incident happened on Sunday at about 4:45 a.m. at a TD Canada Trust branch at 801 O’Connor Drive, near St. Clair Avenue East.

According to police, a grey SUV drove up to the financial institution and an explosive device was allegedly set up against an outdoor bank machine.

Two men then exited the vehicle and allegedly waited around the corner as the SUV parked nearby.

Police said that the device detonated about 10 minutes later, damaging the ATM, which is a drive-thru model and is independent from the main building.

They said the two men then ran towards the bank machine “only to find that the cash box was not breached.”

In surveillance video obtained by CTV News, two men are seen walking casually away from the area of the ATM moments before the explosion. They duck into an entryway along O’Connor Drive. One man then moves on to another doorway, appearing to dart in quickly right before a cloud of dust or debris is seen in the top left corner, where the ATM is located. Seconds later, they’re both seen running back toward the bank machine.

No injuries were reported.

Toronto police’s explosives disposal and K9 units were dispatched to the scene early Sunday afternoon. Toronto Fire Service also deployed its hazmat and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives units to assist the police with their investigation.

On Monday, forensic services remained at the scene, and police officers could be seen doing systematic searches along the rooftops of both the bank and neighbouring businesses.

A number of people who live nearby told CTV News Toronto that they were awoken around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday by the explosion.

“I heard the blast, like a bomb or something like that. It woke me right up,” said an area resident named John.

“I went out to check. I thought it was the boiler room.”

Area resident Justin Van Dette, of the O’Connor Bermondsey Business Association, called the incident “very, very terrifying to the community.”

“There was a loud explosion heard for blocks from this site. It’s terrifying,” he said.

Police said the two suspects ran away from the scene and were last seen heading westbound on O’Connor Drive in the same grey SUV.

The first suspect is described by police as a man with a stocky build. He was last seen wearing dark pants with white stripes down the side of the leg, a light-coloured hooded sweater, and dark shoes with white soles.

The second suspect is a man with a thin build and last seen wearing dark shoes, dark pants, and a dark jacket with fur around the hood.

No further suspect information has been released at this time.

The SUV is only described as a newer model and grey.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5500, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477 (TIPS) or www.222tips.com.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Janice Golding.