‘Pretty scary stuff’: 1 charged, 3 suspects at-large after man kidnapped, assaulted in Mississauga last year

Constable Tyler Bell-Morena of the Peel Regional Police discusses the complexity of the investigation and what led investigators to the arrest of a suspect.

A 24-year-old man has been arrested, and three suspects remain outstanding, after a man was allegedly assaulted and forced into a pickup truck in Mississauga late last year.

Peel Regional Police say they were called to the area of Windwood Drive and Bucklepost Crescent, near Brittania Road West and Winston Churchill Boulevard, on Nov. 27, 2024, at around 10:20 p.m.

A 26-year-old man was allegedly assaulted by four people and then thrown into a Ford F-150 pickup, where, police say, he was held for several hours, continually assaulted, and extorted for money.

Investigators say the suspects stole his phone before releasing him near Loyalist Drive. They then fled the area, police said.

“Thanks to the diligent work of the investigator in charge, including several hours of canvassing, judicial authorizations, and collaborations with other police services, she was finally able to identify one of the victims responsible,” Const. Tyler Bell said in a video.

Const. Tyler Bell Const. Tyler Bell, of York Regional Police, speaks with CP24’s Bakari Savage on Dec. 18.

Speaking with CP24 on Thursday evening, Bell said kidnapping is not something they investigate often but when it happens, they take it “very seriously.”

“And as you can see, it being almost a year later, these are pretty complex investigations. They take a long time, and we’ve got a very diligent detective constable over 11 Division that saw to getting someone identified, and no doubt we’ll get the others in due time,” he said.

Calling this incident “pretty scary stuff,” Bell said despite being repeatedly assaulted and extorted for money over the course of several hours, police don’t believe the suspects obtained any money from the victim. He also suffered no lasting physical injuries, Bell said.

Stolen cell phone helped crack case: police

The constable noted that a “key element” that helped police was the victim’s stolen cell phone, which he said turned up some time later in “another investigation with another police service.”

“That was a big clue that helped our detectives start writing warrants and piecing some things together, ultimately identifying (the accused) almost a year later,” he said, adding the suspect was incarcerated for other offences at the time of his arrest in this case.

“So I made finding him ultimately easy for our for our staff, but yeah, criminal history, just no good,” Bell said.

On Dec. 4, police charged Mohamad Rayyan Dassut, of Mississauga, with kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault, and robbery, among others.

“At the time of his arrest, Dassut was subject to conditions of a probation order,” the release reads.

The charges have not been tested in court.

3 suspects at-large

Three suspects remain outstanding, but police did not provide details about them.

They are, however, being urged to get a lawyer and turn themselves in.

“It’s just a matter of time, especially with the detective that’s on this,” Bell said.

Peel Regional Police is asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.