Toronto police arrest woman who threatened workers with syringe during robberies

Police have officially arrested a woman wanted in connection with a series of retail robberies in Toronto, during which the accused allegedly threatened several employees with a syringe. 

Between November 2021 and June 2023, police responded to five robbery calls in the Church/Carlton Street, Jane Street/Wilson Avenue, Carlaw Avenue/Gerrard Street East, Parliament Street/Winchester Street and Broadview Avenue/Danforth Avenue areas. 

In each incident, a woman entered a store, selected a few items, and placed them into bags she brought with her. 

Then, the woman would start to exit the store without paying for the items and threatened employees who approached her by producing a syringe. 

Luckily, no injuries were reported in any of the five incidents. On Tuesday, officers were able to locate and arrest the woman involved. 

Amelia Marie Atwell, 32, of no fixed address, was charged with five counts of robbery with offensive weapon, disguise with intent, and three counts of failure to comply with release order. 

She was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, July 5.