Toronto man charged in 7 armed retail robberies

A Toronto man is facing charges in connection with seven armed robberies in the city.

Police say that between May 20 of last year and Jan. 23, officers responded to robbery calls at retail businesses in the areas of Danforth and Pape avenues, Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, and Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue.

In each of the alleged robberies, the suspect, who was wearing a mask and armed with a knife at the time, took off from the scene with an undisclosed quantity of cash, according to police.

An investigation by the Toronto Police Service’s Hold Up Squad was launched and 54-year-old Toronto resident Jason Kistindey was identified as a suspect. Police said Kistindey was located on May 4 and found to already be in custody on an “unrelated matter.”

He’s charged with seven counts of robbery with an offensive weapon, seven counts of disguise with intent and one count of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Kistindey was scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on Sunday for a bail hearing. The charges have not been tested in court.

Police are asking anyone with information about any of the alleged robberies to contact investigators at 416-808-7350 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.