Toronto Dude Wanted For Stealing $1,500 of Chewing Gum From Pharmacy

York Regional Police (YRP) are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who stole $1,500 worth of chewing gum from a pharmacy in Markham, Ontario, in what the police say is a "stunning" act of shoplifting.

According to the report, a man entered the pharmacy shortly after 7 PM on December 17, walked to the candy aisle, and started to plunder the shelves by dumping crates of gum into a garbage bag. He then brought the garbage bag to a cab outside the store, only to return inside and fill a second bag before jetting off in the same taxi. Neither the customers or employees noticed anything was different until after the man had left.

The police, unable to identify the suspect or the car he pulled off in, have released security footage of the crime in hopes that the public will be able to help them track him down. In total, the amount of gum stolen is worth $1,528.

YRP Const. Andy Pattenden told VICE that it's an extremely unusual crime, and not just because of the fact that the suspect stole a bunch of gum. Rather, Pattenden says that the time of day and the brazen way in which the suspect waltzed into the store and filled his bags is "incredibly strange."

"Theft of food products is not uncommon," Pattenden says, noting a notorious theft of a truck carrying cheese products last year that ended when the suspects rolled the vehicle while being pursued by police.

"It's just the way this one was done—the time of day, the fact that he just walked right in—that makes it different."

Pattenden also notes that while the store has been shoplifted from before, there has been "nothing of this order or magnitude" that he's seen before.

Ultimately, Pattenden says his hope is that the public—which has branded this story with a #FreshBreathBandit hashtag on Twitter—will help to solve the case and return the stolen gum.

"This particular suspect who's been captured on video here is not familiar to any of our officers here," he said. "We're now hoping the public can help us pick up the loose ends."

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