Two teens, adult, face kidnapping and weapons charges, fourth suspect still at large, following incident in Wainfleet

Two youths and a 20-year-old are facing kidnapping charges following an incident in Wainfleet Tuesday night that led to residents in the area being ordered to shelter in place for several hours.

A fourth suspect remains at large, Niagara Regional Police said in a news release issued Wednesday morning.

At 5:19 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a disturbance in the area of Concession Road 6 and Wellandport Road at a a rural residence.

The initial investigation determined that earlier in the day a male youth had allegedly been taken against his will by four suspects and driven to a second address, the location of the disturbance call, where the suspects allegedly attempted to take a second male youth against his will, police said.

The suspects were armed with firearms and knives, and at least one shot was fired during the incident, said police.

During the altercation, the suspect vehicle became stuck in a ditch, stranding the four suspects in the largely rural area. None of the persons at the residence were physically injured, police said.

Officers who initially responded arrested one of the suspects near the scene, while additional officers across the region attended to assist in establishing a perimeter.

The NRP's canine and emergency task units were called to the scene to conduct a search for the remaining three suspects.

Ontario Provincial Police and one of their helicopters also responded, said the NRP.

Out of an abundance of safety," Wainfleet residents in the area were asked to shelter in place.

At about 7 p.m., officers located and arrested two more suspects.

Despite an exhaustive" search of the area that lasted four and a half hours, the fourth suspect was not located, said police.

The shelter in place request for Wainfleet was lifted at approximately 12:50 a.m. on Wednesday.

Two 16-year-old males, one from Pelham and one from Niagara Falls, have been jointly charged with kidnapping, use of a firearm during the commission of an offence, attempt to commit an indictable offence, and use of a firearm while attempting to commit an offence

Due to the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the identity of the two accused teens cannot be disclosed by police.

A 20-year-old man from St. Catharines is also facing the same charges.

Due to the associations of all three accused parties, the identity of the adult male is not being disclosed as it may lead to the identity of the two younger accused," the NRP said in its release.

All three parties are being held in custody pending a video bail hearing scheduled to take place on Wednesday in St. Catharines.

The NRP thanked area residents and the Wainfleet community for their patience throughout the incident."

Detectives continue to investigate this incident, and police believe this was a targeted incident and there is no continued threat to public safety.

Anyone with information is asked to please call 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1009318.

Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.

Kris Dube is a reporter for the Welland Tribune. Reach him via email: kris.dube@niagaradailies.com