Co-worker allegedly poisoned at Toronto car dealership
The common perception may be that people working at car dealerships are competitive for commissions. But could working at a dealership get competitive enough to necessitate an old fashioned poisoning?
According to Automotive News Canada, “two men were arrested for allegedly attempting to poison a worker at a Toronto BMW dealership by filling his water bottle with engine coolant.”
Last week, police were called to a BMW dealership downtown to investigate the incident, said a police spokesperson. The employee went for a drink from his water bottle, “only to notice it did not contain water.”
The unidentified man went to a pharmacy due to the alarming drink, got medication, then checked himself into a hospital. He was eventually cleared and released with “non-life-threatening injuries.”
Two men are allegedly seen on the dealership’s security cameras taking the water bottle near the customer service area and filling it with what appears to be engine coolant, Toronto police believe, then returning it.
A 34-year-old man from Toronto has been arrested and charged with one count of “administering a noxious substance.”
A few days later, police in Bellville, Ontario (under 200 km east of Toronto), arrested a 20-year-old man in an unrelated matter. He was eventually brought to Toronto and charged with “attempted murder and administering a noxious substance.”
Police did not comment on any motives for the alleged poisoning.
BMW communications director Layth Gafoor said both suspects have been fired from the luxury car dealership. Further, they both have restraining orders that prohibit them from communicating with any of the dealership’s 150 employees. They are also forbidden from touching store property.
Gafoor has been talking to employees at the downtown dealership and does not believe anyone else has been victimized.
“Police were amazing in their investigation, and it was important to us that we try to provide as much information as we know to the employees,” he said.