Hamilton police say a burgundy car seen in an online video being driven on a highway with its rear doors open has been tied to a series of break-and-enters.
They say a detective recognized the car in the clip that appears to show the vehicle carrying goods that are sticking out of its back doors on the Queen Elizabeth Way.
Police say they were investigating a break-and-enter on April 13 around 6 a.m. and examined video of an older burgundy vehicle driving inside the compound of a business in Hamilton after a man and woman allegedly pried the gates open.
They allege 450 kilograms of steel was stolen.
They say the detective watched the viral video on Tuesday, in which the licence plate of the car is visible, and linked it to the break-and-enter case.
On Thursday, police charged a 42-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman with one count each of break and enter, and seized a 1991 Chevrolet Lumina.
"When he (investigator) saw this video, he couldn't believe it," Det. Sgt. Andrea Torrie. "We had been looking for it for a couple of weeks, so when this video went viral, he knew right away."
"I'm not sure if the male and female were even known that they were captured on video at the time," she said. "To do such an unsafe thing on the highway with that car, of course it got huge, huge attention."
with files from Lucas Meyer