Video from York Region Police shows the use of several units, including a police helicopter equipped with an infrared camera, arresting three youths after they trespassed at Canada's Wonderland April 8, 2017
Police north of Toronto say they used a helicopter with thermal cameras and dogs to intercept three teenagers who had broken into the Canada's Wonderland amusement park during the night to steal candy.
The video of the arrest was made public Tuesday by York Regional Police, which said it released it "as a deterrent to anyone that is considering trespassing onto private property."
The black-and-white images, shot by the police helicopter, shows the crew guiding a dog handler and three other officers towards the suspects, who raise their arms, then drop to the ground to be handcuffed.
"TIP OF THE DAY – Breaking into a theme park to steal candy is not a sweet idea and can lead to a criminal confection #CaughtByAir2," the force said on Twitter.
A YRP spokeswoman, Constable Laura Nicolle, said the helicopter was already patrolling in the air at the time of the incident and wasn't deployed specifically to deal with the candy thieves.
In a communiqué posted Tuesday, YRP said it was contacted on Saturday after 10:30 p.m. by security at Canada's Wonderland, who reported seeing three suspects in the park, dressed in dark clothing and their faces covered.
The suspects are alleged to have broken into one of the park's stores and stolen candy, the communiqué said, without specifying what confections were purloined.
The helicopter then arrived and spotted the trio hiding under a tree, the press release said.
The three arrested teenagers are from nearby Vaughan. Two of them are 16 and the third one 15.
"The youths were cooperative with police and were remorseful for their actions. They were each released to the custody of their parents," the communiqué said.
The three will not face charges if they complete a community program.