Six women piled into the Millgrove Community Store at around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“One of them was trying to talk with my little one, and then one was holding up my daughter,” said Jasmine, who owns the store with her husband Sam. The couple have asked to be identified by their first names only, out of concern for their safety.
Hamilton police said some of the women made conversation and bought some items, while others began to pick up and conceal merchandise from the store.
Jasmine said one of the other women kept asking her to take down more and more cold medicine from behind the counter, which she believes was to distract her.
Then Jasmine heard footsteps coming from upstairs, and realized the women had broken into the family’s apartment.
Sam, who was out of the store at the time of the robbery, said he believes one of the women fed their dog a pepperoni stick from the store to keep the pet from alerting the family.
Within 10 minutes, the women had broken into the family’s apartment and stolen merchandise, cash their daughter had saved up for a car, irreplaceable heirloom jewellery and more.
Jasmine said she and her daughter, a 22-year-old university student, tried to stop the women from leaving the store. The women allegedly assaulted her and her daughter, leaving her son frightened.
Hamilton police said the women fled the scene in a black SUV.
When FlamboroughToday interviewed Jasmine, she had bite marks on her hand that she says were from one of the women. She said she was still sore from the altercation.
Sam said he still hasn’t been able to come up with a figure for what was stolen, and the robbers left the family’s home turned upside down.
The couple posted several photos from the store's security footage on local Facebook groups of the women who allegedly robbed and assaulted them. Hamilton police confirmed the women in the photos were the suspects, and said it believes there may be more victims.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident in Millgrove on Saturday to contact the on-duty Division 3 Staff Sergeant at 905-546-3886. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
Community rallies around family
On Monday afternoon, neighbours and customers stopped in to check on the family, who have owned the store for five year.
“The support of them was absolutely amazing,” Sam said.
But along with the support is frustration from the community. Online, Millgrove residents shared concerns about break-ins in the neighbourhood, and a general lack of police presence in Flamborough.
According to the most recent data from the Hamilton Police Service, there were six break and enters in Ward 15, which includes Millgrove, Waterdown and Carlisle, in November 2024; a total of 56 break and enters were reported in the ward for the year.
Sam and Jasmine said it took about 10 minutes for police to arrive, and thanked the officers who responded for their help.
Police presence in Flamborough has long been discussed by residents as a deterrent to property thefts, such as break-ins and robberies in the city’s smaller communities.
To that end, construction of the combination Hamilton Police and Hamilton Fire station at Parkside Drive and Highway 6 is slated to begin this year, with plans to open by 2026.
As well, Waterdown's Mountainview Heights residents began a neighbourhood watch in June, with the goal of deterring car thefts and bringing the community closer. Sam said community members have already reached out to discuss creating a Millgrove neighbourhood watch, to connect residents with each other and keep the community aware.
“I've got to be a warrior to make things different, to make things safer in our community," Sam said.
