Toronto the Violent

Nishanthan Yogakrishnan is a Terrorist

2009-09-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

An Ontario Court of Appeal judge has lifted the ban against identifying the first person to be convicted in a prominent Toronto terrorism case.

Nishanthan Yogakrishnan, part of the so-called Toronto 18, was convicted in September 2008 of knowingly participating in, and contributing to, a terrorist group.

He was 17 at the time of the offences but was tried as an adult and sentenced to two and a half years in jail. After the time served before trial was taken into account, he was released in May.

Yogakrishnan was seeking an order that would have protected his identity under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. His lawyers argued that publishing his name would hurt his rehabilitation while his case was under appeal.

But Sun Media Group and the CBC argued the man was not entitled to privacy under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, because he was sentenced as an adult.

Judge J.A. Epstein, in a ruling released Wednesday, agreed there was no basis for a publication ban pending Yogakrishnan's appeal.

Yogakrishnan was among 18 Muslim-Canadians arrested in June 2006 in raids across the Greater Toronto Area, when police seized alleged bomb-making materials. He was the first person to be convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act passed in 2001.

In a letter submitted to the court during his pre-sentencing hearing, Yogakrishnan said that he was not a violent person, and that he wanted to get his life back on track.

"I would like your honour to know that my goal is to complete my education and obtain employment. I want to complete high school and then college," Yogakrishnan said in the letter.

"I will not associate with anyone that has a view of life or religion that does not believe in being a productive and peaceful member of society," he said.

Saad Khalid, the only other man to be sentenced in the Toronto 18 case, got a 14-year prison term this month after pleading guilty in May to participating in a militant plot with the intention of causing an explosion.

Nine other men, including the alleged leaders of the group, are in custody awaiting trial.

Furqan Muhammad-Haroon, 22, is a criminal

2009-08-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

Toronto police took Furqan Muhammad-Haroon, 22, into custody on Monday and have charged him with two counts of breaking and entering.

The charges date back more than a year to April 2008.

Police allege Muhammad-Haroon illegally entered the office of computer software company IBM where he was working and removed a quantity of laptop computers and monitors.

Last week Muhammad-Haroon was charged with mischief and released on $20,000 bail after allegedly masterminding his own kidnapping.

On Aug. 25, three days after he was reported missing, Toronto police said they had located Muhammad-Haroon in St. Catharines, Ont.

Police had initially said three men, one with a gun, forced Muhammad-Haroon's car off the road in Scarborough. But suspicions were raised when no one came forward with any information about anything unusual occurring near the busy intersection in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.

Muhammad-Haroon had earlier been fired from his summer job with IBM, arrested and charged Aug. 13 with theft under $5,000. He was allegedly caught with a recycling bin filled with IBM hard drives and other computer equipment.

Man shot to death near Bloor St. W. bar

2009-07-25T12:22:00.001-07:00

A man in his 20s is dead after being shot in the abdomen outside an Annex-area bar early this morning.

Toronto police were called to the Brunswick House on Bloor St. W., near Spadina Ave., shortly after 1 a.m. where they say a man suffered a gunshot wound in a laneway behind the bar.

He was taken to hospital, where he later died.

Homicide investigators are at the scene, and are asking witnesses who may have been in or around the bar to call police.

The Brunswick House, often known as the "Brunny", is a popular student hangout for the nearby University of Toronto.

Adam Baines, chairman of the Annex Residents' Association, said it's the bars that are bringing trouble to the area.

"There seems to be an attempt to create an entertainment district up in this area, and that's not appropriate," he said.

Baines said the residents' association isn't considering allowing patios to stay open as a method of cutting down on crime.

Almost a year ago to the day, two people were shot and wounded while walking down the street in the busy, vibrant neighbourhood.

Residents and store owners said at the time that violence in the area was unprecedented. Baines says that's still the case.

"It makes me uncomfortable, but it still is an isolated incident," he said.

"It's unfortunate they're using guns now. I'd prefer that they were using fists if they had to do these kind of things."

Parents, Son Charged With Murder In Islamic Honour Killing Case Near Kingston

2009-07-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

The suspicious deaths of three Montreal sisters and a caregiver found inexplicably in a car submerged in the Rideau Canal took a dramatic turn Thursday as police alleged the four had been murdered by the girls' parents and brother in an "honour killing."

Kingston police Chief Stephen Tanner said investigators were looking into whether the parents and their 18-year-old son were motivated to kill the girls aged 19, 17 and 13, in a deadly clash of cultures.

The fourth victim was 52-year-old Rona Amir Mohammad. Police for the first time said she was the first wife of the older accused in the case, Mohammad Shafia.

The parents - Shafia and his wife Tooba Mohammad Yahya - and their 18-year-old son Hamed Mohammad-Shafia are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The three accused arrived for a bail hearing in Kingston court Thursday afternoon, with the girls' parents arriving in separate police cruisers. The son was the last to arrive in an unmarked car, dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans. He was taken past media through the back of the courthouse.

The three appeared separately, each with their own counsel. All three will be held in police custody until their next court appearances, scheduled for Aug. 6.

The family, originally from Kabul, Afghanistan, spent 15 years in Dubai before moving to Montreal two years ago.

Tanner said the girls were living as "Canadian teenagers."

"In our Canadian society we value the cultural values of everyone that makes up this great country and some of us have different core beliefs, different family values, different sets of rules, and certainly, these individuals, in particular the three teenagers, were Canadian teenagers who have all the freedom and rights of expression of all Canadians," Tanner said.

"So whether that was a part of a motive within the family based on one ... or more of the girls' behaviour is open to a little bit of speculation."

Police had always called the deaths suspicious. No one could explain how the car had dropped into the canal. There were no skid marks indicating it had gone off the edge of the lock. And there were several obstacles that made it next to impossible that the car could accidentally be driven into the water.

The black Nissan was first noticed by a lock worker submerged in three metres of water early in the morning of June 30. Its front end was up against the lock wall as if the vehicle had plunged in backwards.

Three weeks after the car was discovered, investigators Thursday laid out a very different scenario from the one offered to police and the public by the family of the victims.

Shafia had told police the family had stopped overnight at a motel in Kingston after vacationing in Niagara Falls. The family was tired and didn't want to continue the drive to Montreal until the next day.

The family had driven two cars and had taken two rooms at the motel.

The parents said the eldest daughter, Zainab, had knocked on the door of her parents' room that night and asked for the car keys to get some clothes she had left inside the vehicle.

The next morning, the parents said the second car was gone and at about noon the father went to Kingston police to say the Nissan along with their three daughters and "aunt" were missing.

After making the report, the parents continued on their way to Montreal, wondering if the other family members had left without them and had made it home first, the father said.

In later interviews with the media, the family suggested that Zainab was a rebellious young girl who had a habit of taking the family car without consent or a licence. In tearful interviews, they speculated that their daughter had taken the car for a joy ride that had turned deadly.

Lead investigator Insp. Brian Begbie said Thursday "this particular allegation was false."

Begbie said the girl had not driven the car that ended up at the bottom of the canal, and that the investigation had revealed that all three accused had.

Police took three weeks to lay charges because of the complexity of the case, Begbie said.

"There were a combination of cultural issues and officers moving some distance from Kingston specifically to Quebec and other areas and input from people around the world," he said.

Police said the older woman in the car as Shafia's first wife. He had told police she was his cousin.

"It's not the first time we have seen a family make public pleas and found later the situation was substantially different," said Tanner.

Police described themselves as "greatly saddened" at the "needless and senseless loss of innocent human lives" and in an unusual request asked everyone in attendance to observe a moment of silence.

"All shared the rights within our great country to live without fear, to enjoy safety and security and to exercise freedom of choice and expression and yet had their lives cut short by members of their own family," said Tanner, before asking for the silent tribute to the four female victims.

Tanner said he received an email from someone who was most likely a family member, which suggested a so-called "honour crime" could be a possibility in the case.

"That person is far removed from Canadian soil and from direct knowledge so we have to, and will, investigate that fully in coming weeks," he said.

An email statement sent to media outlets by those identifying themselves as "close relatives" of Shafia's first wife said Rona had often said her husband "threatened her regularly" and "that he wanted to kill her."

The email went on to say Shafia often criticized the influence of western culture on his family, adding that "the daughters were beaten regularly, either by him or his son Hamed, because their behaviour was a disgrace to him in his eyes."

Rona's younger sister, Homa Kahoush, interviewed through an interpreter by telephone from her home in Sweden, said she was shocked by what had happened.

Speaking in Persian translated by her son Nawed Amir Mohammed, Kahoush said her sister had been married to Shafia in Kabul in 1980.

The email to media included photographs that it said showed the wedding and engagement of Mohammed and Shafia.

Shafia did not divorce Rona and claimed she was a close family relative as he moved from Afghanistan to Dubai and later to Canada.

Rona used to call her sister frequently to relate the many problems she faced at home, said Nawed.

After 27 years of living with her husband and his second wife, Rona had told her relatives in Europe that she wanted to leave Shafia.

"She was scared of her husband," said Nawed, translating his mother's words.

Three Men Convicted In Largest Street Gang Trial In Canadian History

2009-07-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Raw emotion was on display Wednesday when a jury convicted three men in the biggest street gang trial in Canadian history.

Friends and family members of the accused, and the victims, packed the courthouse, and their reactions varied when the verdict was read, but one thing was certain --- several families were shattered by the events that brought them together Wednesday.

Lives were not only lost to senseless violence, but thrown away in the process of perpetrating the criminal acts.

Tyshan Riley, 26, Phillip Atkins, 26, and Jason Wisdom, 23, were all convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and committing murder for the benefit of a criminal organization.

Prosecutors argued that the convicted men, members of the Galloway Boys, were part of a frightening crime wave that saw them target people they believed to be from the rival Malvern Crew.

More often than not, however, innocent people were victimized.

One such person, Brenton Charlton, was killed after being shot at several times. His friend, Leonard Bell, survived, but still has numerous medical problems related to the four bullets still lodged in his chest.

"Only on the rarest of occasions were the targets that they caught and shot involved in criminal activity," said Det. Sgt. Dean Burks. "For the most part the people that were shot and wounded or shot and killed by these people were completely innocent victims."

Charlton's grieving mother, Valda Williams, also said she felt for the families of the convicted gang members.

"I felt if for them too because no mother wants to see their child die, or see their children in jail," she said.

The star witness in the case was a former member of the Galloway Boys.

Two of the three men still face murder charges in other shootings but the Crown hasn't yet decided how to proceed.

As Many As 23 Shots Fired During Daylight Gunfight At Yorkdale And Allen

2009-07-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

A man with a familial connection to a 2001 GTA murder sustained multiple gunshot wounds near Yorkdale and Allen Wednesday afternoon.

As many as 23 shell casings were found after the gunfire on Highland Hill near Sparrow Road around 5:10pm.

"My kids were actually watching cartoons downstairs and they heard 10 to 12 shots in the basement ... they thought fireworks were going off," said area resident Julio Marchese.

"The victim in this matter was riding his bike here on highland and was approached by two males in a motor vehicle who opened fire on him," explained Insp. Art Little, 32 Division.

Later Wednesday CityNews learned the identity of the victim. Wayne Lewis is the brother of Michael Lewis, a respected man killed while trying to break up a fight nearby eight years ago.

On Wednesday, Lewis sustained at least two gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital where his condition remains unclear.

Police are looking for two black males who took off in a silver BMW or Acura.

Mexican murderers caught on camera

2009-07-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

A day after she was laid to rest, police have released additional security camera images of the two suspects in the murder of 44-year-old Consuelo "Connie" Valencia-Russo.

Valencia-Russo, a single mother and French teacher, was found dead on the evening of July 9, suffocated and stuffed in the trunk of her own car in the parking lot of a Jane and Sheppard apartment complex.

Days later police issued arrest warrants for two Mexicans, believed to have returned to the country within days of the homicide.

Images of the duo - Juan Antonio Reyes, 23 and 19-year-old Ana Laura Rodrigues - were captured on security cameras at 2645 Jane Street.

On Thursday, police provided a further update to the case, releasing more alleged images of the wanted pair taken in the building.

See all the security images here

2 murdered by knife at Waterfront

2009-06-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

The second of two men who were stabbed in a waterfront parking lot after an early-morning boat cruise has died, said one of the event's promoters.

The dispute started shortly before 2:30 a.m., between several people who were leaving a boat cruise that landed on Polson Pier, an industrial area on the eastern side of the harbour.

During the fight, two men were stabbed in a parking lot at Cherry and Commissioners Sts. They were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A 27-year-old man died within hours. Witnesses told reporters he had been trying to break up a fight.

The second man, 24, succumbed to his injuries early Sunday evening, said Leon Foyle, who helped promote the party on the boat.

Police are having trouble determining what happened, since most of the people who might have witnessed the fight left the scene before officers could interview them.

"We're looking for witnesses," said Det. Sgt. Dan Sheppard of the homicide squad. "There were 200 people on the cruise, but very few stuck around."

A bystander at the scene told reporters that the man who died was trying to stop a fight between others, but Sheppard said police hadn't been told this.

"They talked to the TV station but not to the police," he said.

Police originally said they were looking for three black male suspects, but Sheppard said they don't know how many people were involved in the fight.

Despite earlier reports that the fight happened outside the nearby Sound Academy nightclub, Sheppard said the bar was not involved.

Anyone who witnessed the stabbing or who can help them find the men is asked to call them at 416-808-7400.

Brampton Teen, 15, Killed In Overnight Shooting

2009-06-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

A 15-year-old boy is dead and police are searching for suspects after a shooting in Brampton on Friday.

Baden Jeffrey Willcocks was found without vital signs on Elrose Rd. Peel Police had been called to the scene, near Earnscliffe Park, at 8:52pm when someone reported hearing gunshots.

Emergency crews rushed him to hospital, but it was too late. He was pronounced dead at the facility.

Officers are investigating and they're looking for four black males seen leaving the area in a gold-coloured vehicle. Cops also said they are moving in a positive direction toward making an arrest.

Police also say that this is a closely knit community and everyone is working with police to expedite the arrest of the suspects.

Man, Possibly Wearing School Uniform, Wanted For Sexual Assault

2009-06-20T14:13:00.001-07:00

Toronto Police are looking for a male suspect after an alleged sexual assault on Friday - and he may have been wearing a school uniform.

A woman reported that she was attacked outside her apartment near The Kingsway and Anglesey Blvd around 6pm.

The suspect allegedly approached her from behind and sexually assaulted her as she was entering her apartment.

But she broke free and turned to confront her attacker. When she did, he immediately ran away.

The suspect is described as:

black
approximately 17-18 years
5' 6" to 5'7"
short black hair

He appeared to be wearing a school uniform, described as:

dark navy/black baggy and faded dress pants
white golf shirt with a school patch on the chest.

If you saw anything, call 416-808-7474 or Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Multiple Stabbings Send Four People To Hospital

2009-06-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Four people are in hospital after multiple stabbings early Saturday morning.

Toronto Police are looking at two possible crime scenes, one in 31 Division and the other in 41 Division.

Just after midnight, there were reports of a knife fight near Keele St. and Finch Ave. Emergency crews rushed to the scene around 12:30am to find three people had been wounded, two of them seriously.

They were all taken to hospital.

Less than an hour later, a man called 911 to report his own wounds. He said he was stabbed in the back near Eglinton Ave and Brimley Rd.

He was also rushed to hospital.

Syed Hoda of Mississauga Charged with Hit and Run of Toddler

2009-06-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

He's being hailed a hero after chasing down a hit and run suspect and holding him until police arrived, but Lebert St. Bernard still can't shake the guilt he's feeling.

St. Bernard admits he was only seconds away from saving a little three-year-old boy he spotted in the middle of the road in the early morning hours Wednesday. But in the end, he wasn't quite fast enough, and the toddler was hit by a car after wandering from his home into harm's way while his parents slept.

He was startled when he spotted the child and quickly tried to turn around to swoop him out of danger.

"I made a U-Turn on the road to head towards the baby and get him out of the street," he said in an exclusive interview. "Before I got to the baby I saw this car coming and I tried to get there fast...five seconds, and I didn't get there fast enough...it threw him a good distance from where he was standing."

According to police, the toddler awoke, put on his father's shoes, and wandered away from his home near Glen Erin Dr. and Britannia Rd. around 1am. His parents had no idea he was gone, assuming he was safely sleeping.

Instead, just steps from his door, the young boy was struck by a car. And the driver sped away from the scene of the crime.

St. Bernard then boxed the suspect in a few blocks away, assuring he stayed put until police arrived.

"I left my phone...so I couldn't call 911, so what I did is I saw a couple cars that were passing by and I said, 'can you call 911, cuz this guy just killed a baby in the street and then took off.' I left two cars in the street there so they could attend to the baby, and then I followed him...and when he reached (an intersection) the light was red and he stopped and I cut across in front of him because I realized he wasn't stopping," he explained.

The toddler was rushed to Credit Valley Hospital and police arrested the driver in question, 48-year-old Syed Hoda of Mississauga, charging him with failure to remain.

Just before 5am, the boy was flown by air ambulance to Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto.

He remains in critical but stable condition.

In the meantime, Lebert St. Bernard is being hailed a hero but is still struggling to come to terms with what transpired.

"I feel sick, I feel guilty, because I didn't get there on time," St. Bernard laments. "I didn't get there on time."

Man Dead After Shooting In West-End Highrise

2009-06-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

A man is dead and Toronto Police are investigating after an early-morning attack.

Officers sealed off parts of a west-end apartment building after finding three victims there around 5am Sunday. The violence broke out at the highrise on Dixon Rd., just east of Martin Grove. Two of the victims had sustained stab wounds, while a third was gunned down.

That man was rushed to hospital but later succumbed to his wounds.

"It appears a young man became involved in an altercation. At that point, shots were fired. The male was struck. He subsequently was taken to a local trauma unit and he succumbed to those injuries," revealed Det. Mike Carbone of the Toronto Police.

Heavily armed ETF officers searched the area for suspects, but so far no arrests have been made.

Police Looking For 25-Year-Old Sexual Assault Suspect

2009-06-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Police are looking for a 25-year-old sexual assault suspect and they hope the public can help track him down.

Mark Payne is wanted in connection with a May 19th attack on a woman in St. Lucia Park near Weston Rd. and Habitant Dr.

It's alleged the woman was near a pathway when a man grabbed her and proceeded to assault her.

Payne is described as

Black
5'9"
176 lbs
Scar by his left eye

A warrant has been issued for his arrest. Police say he's considered dangerous and shouldn't be approached - if you spot him, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Two shot dead at Brampton house party

2009-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Two people were shot dead this morning, and several others wounded, at a Brampton house party.

Peel police were called to a house on Chinguacousy Rd. just South of Queen St. W at around 5 a.m. where they say two people were found dead. Police said that several others were shot but would not say how many.

Currently the house is rented to a Jamaican couple with a visible Jamaican flag perched outside the house, though nothing more is known at this time.

"It was very chaotic. There were a number of people at the scene that we had to ensure got medical treatment," said Const. J.P. Valade.

Neighbours say the house is used as an after-hours club, with at least 25-30 people coming in and out of the house regularly on weekends. A security guard who was working at the house during the shooting told on-lookers that guns were brought in through a back window.

Some residents asked today view the deadly shooting as the latest sign that their neighbourhood has become troubled in recent years.

One 19-year-old Sheridan College student who wouldn't give his name said he was robbed not far from the shooting site. Another resident said his son was robbed last March.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peel police at 905-453-2121, or anonymously at Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS.

Girl, 5, shot at Weston highrise

2009-05-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

A five-year-old girl was struck by gunfire when a man fired two handguns at a group of people sitting on an apartment patio outside a Weston highrise.

Witnesses saw the gunman approach the main-floor apartment just before 8 p.m. and fire several shots as people dove for cover at the Bellevue Cres. building, off Weston Rd. near Lawrence Ave. W.

Moments later, the limp and unconscious 5-year-old girl was carried by family members to a car and taken to nearby Humber River Regional Hospital. There, she was stabilized before being transferred to the Hospital for Sick Children. An officer at the scene said it appeared a bullet had entered her chest and exited her back. Her injuries are not life-threatening, police said.

Police arrested a suspect in the ravine about 30 minutes after the shooting. He had run into the Humber River and became stranded on a small island.

A young man also seen limping away from the scene may have been shot in the back of the leg.

The shooting is most recent violence in Toronto Police's 12 Division, an area some say is caught in the middle of a gang war. The district has had seven fatal shootings this year and has clocked close to 20 other shootings and more than 40 gun seizures since New Year's Day.

Man Doused With Gas And Set On Fire Dies In Hospital

2009-05-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

A Toronto resident is dead, the city's 21^st homicide of 2009 and his demise came in an especially gruesome and painful way. On Wednesday night, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in a home at 20 Jasper Ave., in the Black Creek Drive and Weston Road area.

By the time paramedics arrived, he'd suffered agonizing burns to 75 per cent of his body. The victim was rushed for emergency treatment but his wounds were too great and he succumbed in hospital.

The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and an autopsy is scheduled into the death.

A 32-year-old man who immigrated from Somalia is under arrest and is facing charges, although police have yet to say what led to the argument. If you know anything about this case, call (416) 808-7385 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at (416) 222-TIPS (8477).

Suspicious West-End Death Was A Homicide

2009-05-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

What police had originally deemed a suspicious death they are now calling murder.
On Wednesday morning, officers responded to a call to a home on Westglen Crescent, near Martin Grove and Burnamthorpe roads. There they found the body of a 43-year-old man, Tony Colantonio of Toronto.
Further details will be revealed when an autopsy is performed on Thursday.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Woman stabbed to death, man arrested

2009-05-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

A 27-year-old woman was stabbed to death in a townhouse near Dundas St. E and Broadview Ave. this morning. Police have charged 24-year-old Abdirasak Hassan with second-degree murder.

At about 11:30 a.m., police were called to a three-storey townhouse complex on Munro St. where a man in his early 20s had stabbed a woman and then turned the knife on himself.

The woman was taken to St. Michael's Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Police took the man into custody. He was later admitted to St. Michael's suffering from serious injuries.

"There was blood everywhere," said Const. Tony Vella referring to the scene in the apartment.

Homicide detectives are on the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-222-TIPS.

Abshir Abdirashid Attempts to Murder Police Officers

2009-05-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Officers were called to the Driftwood Court neighbourhood around 12:20am, when someone reported hearing gunshots. When they arrived, they found a bullet hole in the window of a nearby home.

But even after Toronto's finest arrived, the gunshots, they say, didn't stop.

Someone from a nearby apartment building opened fire on the officers.

The shooter then left the building and tried to escape on foot. But officers caught up with the accused and placed him under arrest.

Abshir Abdirashid, 19, is charged with:

two counts of Attempted Murder While Using other Firearm
Possession of a Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
Possession of a Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized
Possession of Firearm Obtained by the Commission of an Offence
Firearm Careless Use
Careless Storage of Ammunition
Possess Firearm Serial Number Altered

Abshir Abdirashid is a recent immigrant.

Knife Attack Near Cedarbrae C.I. Leaves Teen In Serious Condition

2009-05-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

There has been yet another violent incident outside a Toronto school. And this one has left a teen in hospital. It happened around the noon hour not far from Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute near Lawrence and Markham Rd.

Police say the 15-year-old victim was accosted by up to four other black males who came up behind him in a park area near the campus and asked him his name. Without warning, they stabbed him in the back and then hit him over the head with a crowbar, causing a fractured skull.

Cops only learned of the crime when his friends drove him to hospital and the young man walked into the ER seeking treatment for the stab wound. He's listed in serious condition.

There have been no arrests and there's no word on any suspects but police have seized a security video from the park where the attack took place, hoping to get a closer look at those involved.

Man Stabbed While Waiting At Bus Stop

2009-05-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

It's happened again - another attack on a young male in the west end, again at a bus stop.

This time a man was stabbed in the lower back while waiting at a TTC stop on Widdicombe Hill and Kipling, not far from Eglinton Ave.

Police have yet to say how old the victim is or whether this latest incident could be gang related. The patient has been rushed to hospital for treatment but the wounds aren't considered life threatening. The suspect is described as a black male, 20-30 years of age wearing baggy clothes.

Bus stops seem to have become a favourite hunting ground for predators in the last two months. They're open, accessible, there are few places to hide and the victim is standing unsuspecting and a literal waiting target. But they also leave other innocent people vulnerable, since many of the attacks have taken place in broad daylight.

There have been several since the end of April.

Six Shot At Birthday Party

2009-05-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Cops are still wondering if there's a link between the shooting of six people at a West Mall birthday party and other murders several kilometres away.

The victims were all surprised by their assailants at the affair, and neighbours say they believe at least one of them may have been deliberately targeted in retaliation for another shooting in the past few weeks. No arrests have been made but all the victims survived their injuries.

Cops are looking for a high end car that was caught on security cameras fleeing the scene, as well as two black suspects.

Two shot as bullets fly at 3 North York locations

2009-05-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Gun violence in Toronto continued to spiral out of control as two men were taken to hospital after separate shootings in North York within the span of an hour.

Around 5:30 p.m., a passerby came across a young man lying on the ground bleeding on Toryork Dr., an industrial road in the area of Weston Rd. and Finch Ave. W.

The victim, 22, had been shot in buttocks, police said.

He has been taken to Sunnybrook Hospital with serious injuries.

Surveillance footage from the area shows a white car dumping the injured man on the road before fleeing. The assailant is described as a black male.

Another shooting occurred about 40 minutes later outside a high-rise complex on Sheppard Ave. W. near Jane St.

A man, believed to be in his 20s, was walking from his car to an apartment building when he was shot in the leg, said Staff Sgt. Mike Stones.

The victim ran into the building's lobby.

The building's door is peppered with three bullet holes, and investigators found several bullet casings on the scene.

Witnesses told police the shooter jumped into a silver car and fled eastbound on Sheppard.

He is described as a black man with an afro. He was last seen wearing camouflage clothing.

The victim has been taken to Humber River Regional Hospital's York Finch site.

Officers responded to a third shooting nearby on Chalkfarm Dr., in the Jane St. and Wilson Ave. area, around 8:40 p.m. But when they arrived, there was no victim.

Several bullet casings were recovered near the lobby of an apartment building.

Witnesses told police they saw two black male suspects driving away from the scene in a grey car.

14-year-old gunned down in west end

2009-05-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Toronto homicide detectives and school officials say they have no explanation and no motive in the shooting death of a 14-year-old Grade 9 student, but believe drugs were involved.

Adrian Johnston was shot 3 times, in the back, arm, and head and killed in a field near the intersection of Scarlett Road and St. Clair Avenue West at about 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Lynn Farqhuarson, principal of Runnymede Collegiate, where Johnston was a student, called the shooting a "tragedy." Farqhuarson, speaking to reporters outside the school, said she could offer no motive for the killing.

The principal said she was not aware that Johnston was having any problems. When asked if there was any gang problems at Runnymede she said, "Not to my knowledge."

Johnston was shot point-blank in a hydro right-of-way in the city's west end.

Neighbours said they heard three shots and told police they saw a man in dark clothing and a green baseball cap running away.

One neighbour said the community was stunned. "We're all in shock," she said.

Eighteen people have been slain in Toronto this year, including Jarvis St. Remy, 18, who was shot at a bus stop just a few blocks from where Johnston was killed.

Police have not revealed if they have any motive for the shooting.

Farqhuarson could not say if Johnston was involved with gangs.

"I don't know Adrian's friends or [the] people he would be hanging around with in the neighbourhood," she said.

Saad Khalid is a Terrorist

2009-05-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

Saad Khalid is among the 12 adults and five youths charged with several terrorism-related offences. All are muslim.

The 18 muslim men and young boys were arrested in the Toronto area and detained following an investigation by CSIS, Canada's spy agency.

Khalid is the first adult from the group arrested in the summer of 2006 on suspicion of terrorism to admit to playing a role in the alleged plot.

The suspects face charges including participating in a terrorist group, receiving training from a terrorist group, providing training and intending to cause an explosion that could cause serious bodily harm or death.

The offences took place between March and June 2006 in Mississauga and a rural township near Orillia, Ont.

The group planned to bomb the CN Tower, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Toronto CSIS office, as well as behead the Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Tyshan Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom

2009-05-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Tyshan Riley, Philip Atkins and Jason Wisdom all guilty of First degree murder

Two "ordinary civilians" were returning home from running errands when a vehicle pulled up beside them and raked their car with gunfire, leaving one of them dead and the other seriously injured.

The names of the victims were Brenton Charlton, 31, and Leonard Bell, now 48.

Both had become unintended victims in a vicious gang war between two Scarborough gangs, one in Malvern and the other called the Galloway Boys, Crown attorney Suhail Akhtar said today in his opening address to a jury in the Superior Court of Justice.

Charlton, who was driving the blue Neon, died after jumping out of the car and collapsing on the road. Bell, shot nine times, survived.

Thomas Chung Tam Charged With Sexually Assaulting Boy For Two-Year Period

2008-12-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

A babysitter charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy in his care may have been committing the atrocious act for up to two years.

36-year-old Thomas Chung Tam of Toronto spent that amount of time working as a caregiver for the child, and now faces five charges, including counts of sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation.
His first court appearance is Tuesday, but police have also suggested there could be more victims and want anyone with information about Tam to call them at 416-808-1305 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Mississauga Murder - 13 year old Victim

2008-12-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Peel Police have now identified the victim in the region's 27th homicide of the year. She's 13-year-old Alexandra Firgin-Hewie.

The Mississauga teen was found dead early Thursday morning, and two people, a man and a woman, have since been arrested.

Rafael Lasota, 25, and Michelle Liard, 19, were both detained on Thursday and are now facing charges of first-degree murder.

Lasota lived at the home where the teen was discovered, and Liard is reportedly his girlfriend.
They were apprehended at a park not far from the crime scene, and witnesses say the man appeared to be heavily intoxicated.
No motive is currently known, and it hasn't been revealed how the young girl died. A post mortem is scheduled for Friday.

The investigation began at 1:20am when police responded to a 911 call from a residence on Bonnymede Drive in Mississauga. Upon arrival they discovered the deceased teen.
Peel Police sealed off the area around Southdown Road and Royal Windsor Drive, and their investigation is ongoing.

A neighbour said they could see a body and a trail of blood in the backyard of the home.

J.S.R., 20, guilty of 2nd-degree murder in Jane Creba shooting

2008-12-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

The first man to be tried in the 2005 Boxing Day shooting death of Toronto teenager Jane Creba was found guilty on Sunday of second-degree murder.Jane Creba, 15, was shot to death on Dec. 26, 2005, as two groups of people exchanged gunfire in a crowd of holiday shoppers on Yonge Street.

He was also found guilty of five weapons charges and two of six counts of aggravated assault.

The man, now 20, was 17 at the time of the killing and can be identified only as J.S.R.

The Ontario Superior Court jury reached its verdict after four days of deliberations.
Creba, 15, was among shoppers on a crowded Yonge Street when she was struck by a stray bullet during a shootout between two groups.

The judge told the jury earlier in the trial that he was reducing six attempted murder charges to six counts of aggravated assault, relating to four men and two women wounded in the crossfire.
"There was absolute silence as the jury foreperson rose to her feet and announced the verdict," said CBC reporter John Lancaster.

When the defendant was arrested, shortly after the shootout, he was found to be carrying a nine-millimetre handgun, which had been traced back to some of those wounded in the incident.
His lawyers had argued that he never shot the pistol — that one of the gunmen passed it to J.S.R. moments after all of its bullets were fired.

Eight other people — one youth and seven adult suspects — charged with either second-degree murder or manslaughter in Creba's death are expected to go on trial next year.

JEREMIAH VALENTINE is charged with 2nd degree murder.

Valentine, Louis Raphael Woodcock and Tyshaun Barnett, are charged with second-degree murder in Creba's death and the attempted murder of the six people injured at the scene.

Andre Thompson, his brother Shaun Thompson, Andrew Smith and Vincent Davis are the four adults charged with manslaughter. They are expected to be tried next autumn.

The black gunman and his friend, faced the 11 males, all but one black, who were ranged metres to the north of him outside the apparel store.
A teenaged girl who was friends with J.S.R. testified that this gunman approached one of the larger group and "dapped" – made as if to touch fists – with him in greeting.

Then, she testified, the gunman said: "Are these your boys? 'cause these are my boys and I've got a .357. just like fitty cent would yo"

Then he opened fire at the group. At least two of its members shot back before everyone scattered.
Creba was hit in the back, the bullet exiting her throat. She staggered and fell into the road, at least one of her legs straddling the sidewalk.
David Tarnowski, the Crown's key eyewitness, allegedly saw J.S.R. firing.

But Tarnowski failed to identify him in a police photo lineup shortly after the shooting. He said the shooter had an earring, and had his hair in cornrows or braids with a small ponytail in the back.

But J.S.R. wore no earring and his hair was covered in a black and white bandanna.
The Crown maintained that Tarnowski could have mistaken the way the bandanna, or "do-rag" was tied at the nape of the neck for a small ponytail.

Tarnowski said the shooter had a white cap. J.S.R.'s baseball-style cap was blue, black and, in the front, white with a Philadelphia 76ers logo.

Tarnowski said the shooter wore white on his chest. J.S.R. was wearing an oversized white T-shirt under his dark jacket, but there was no proof his jacket was open at the time of the shooting.

Valentine, Woodcock and Tyshaun Barnett, are charged with second-degree murder in Creba's death and the attempted murder of the six people injured at the scene.

Man Stabbed To Death In Etobicoke

2008-12-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

Toronto Police are probing a fatal stabbing at a residence on Coin St. in the Lake Shore and Islington area of Etobicoke. Officers were called out around 12:30pm Wednesday and discovered a man in his 70s suffering from serious stab wounds.

Paramedics tried to revive him but he had no vital signs and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner is at the address examining the victim as detectives begin their hunt for a suspect.

It's the second stabbing in less than 24 hours in the city.

Man shot to death in city's east end

2008-11-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

A 22-year-old man was shot to death in the city's east end just before midnight Wednesday.

Toronto police say they were called to a highrise apartment at 1840 Victoria Park Ave., north of Lawrence Ave. E., and found a man suffering from gunshot wounds.

Const. Tony Vella said the man had been shot inside the building's underground parking garage.

The victim was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital, but was pronounced dead.

Police are searching for two suspects who fled the scene in a red van. One of the suspects is described as being a young black male, 5-8 to 5-11 with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a hooded top and was carrying a handgun.

The murder is listed as Toronto's 67th homicide of 2008.

Meanwhile, police in the city's Weston-area are also searching for suspects after a man was found shot in the abdomen outside a home on Lindy Lou Rd., south of Finch Ave. W.

Around 11:30 p.m., police were called after residents reported gunshots.

When police arrived, they found the victim, who was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police say they are having a tough time getting information on the suspect or suspects because the victim is not co-operating.

Three Toronto Men Commit Murder and Burn Body

2008-11-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

Three Toronto men are wanted for murder.

It started exactly a week ago when a motorist passing by 6th Line in Essa Township noticed an unusual find in a ditch around 12:30am. A bright light was coming from the side of the road and it was quickly apparent something was on fire.

When the blaze was put out, police discovered the remains of a badly burned body. Cops theorize the dead man was set on fire to try and hide his identity, but dental records allowed them to come up with a name. He was 47-year-old Ali Garakan from Thornhill and he'd been stabbed to death, killed by a knife wound to the chest.

It took the OPP a few days but with help from York and Toronto Police, they were able to piece together a case, a motive and three suspects, all from the city.

They're 23-year-old Mohammed al Kazragy, Payam Khastou, and Arash Arashvand, and are all wanted for murder.

The OPP has said that they're being charged with second-degree murder.

Now all they have to do is find them. Cops warn they're accused of committing a very violent act and authorities consider them dangerous. They're urging anyone who knows where they are to keep their distance.

Name Of Man Suspected Of Pulling The Trigger In Jane Creba Murder Case Emerges In Court

2008-11-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah Valentine is a murderer

His name is Jeremiah Valentine and he's the black man who committed one of the most infamous crimes in recent Toronto history.

The 26-year-old has been named in court as the person who allegedly fired the gun that killed Jane Creba. The Toronto high school student was murdered as she shopped with her family on busy Yonge St. on Boxing Day 2005.

Valentine is facing second-degree murder charges in the case that made world headlines. The revelation came during testimony at the trial of "JSR," the first of several suspects to be tried in the infamous killing. He was 17 at the time and can't be legally named, but is also facing second-degree murder accusations.

The defence contends it was Valentine who had the .357 Magnum and that he used it to open fire on a crowd at Yonge and Dundas after an earlier dispute with a group of males at the Eaton Centre. He was apparently wearing a "Stop Snitching" T-shirt when the shots rang out.

Jeremiah was well known to police and faced a slew of drug related charges at the time of the incident. When authorities caught up to him a month after the crime, it came with a staggering revelation. It turns out cops had been looking for Valentine just three days before the shooting but couldn't find him.

Student Stabbed At Don Mills Collegiate

2008-10-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Students arriving at Don Mills Collegiate Tuesday morning were met with a terrifying surprise.

Their school was in lockdown following a stabbing that sent one of their classmates to hospital and put another one in police custody.

Officers were called to the school around 10:38am, following reports of a knife attack. When they arrived, they located the victim in the front office.

The 15-year-old boy was rushed to hospital, where he remains in serious condition with wounds to his abdomen and chest.

"I have no idea what may have caused it because the person that was stabbed seems like a pretty good kid," reports one student.

But police they know what may have sparked the attack: an argument over a pair of gloves. The violence escalated, and a knife was pulled.

Officers immediately put the institute into lockdown as they scoured the grounds for the assailant and a weapon.

A 17-year-old was found behind the school and taken into custody. Reportedly, he's well-known to police. A knife was also found, but it's not known if it belongs to the suspect or if it's connected to the crime.

WANTED FOR MURDER: Kyle Weese

2008-10-26T20:29:00.001-07:00

Kyle Weese Should be Considered Armed and Very Dangerous

Age: 24

Wanted for the shooting death of Bailey Zaveda outside the Duke of York tavern on Queen St. E. and Leslie St., Oct 25.

Call police at 416-808-7400 or 416-808-5500, or Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous 416-222-TIPS (8477). You can also text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

Man Found Shot To Death Inside His Car

2008-10-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

It was a grisly morning for police officers Sunday.

Just before 8am, they found a man dead inside a car parked on Alexis Boulevard near Bathurst and Sheppard.

His body looks like it has been shot, and there are reports that a gun was found on the passenger seat.

Reports indicate that the suspect was wearing a black balaclava.

There's no word on who might be responsible, but police officers are on the scene.

1 dead after 5 shot at downtown bar

2008-10-25T07:13:00.001-07:00

A woman is dead and four other victims are in serious condition after a downtown bar shooting early this morning.

Police were called to the Duke of York tavern on Queen St. E. at Leslie St. just before 1 a.m. after reports of gunshots. One victim was killed and at least four others were found suffering from gunshot wounds and rushed to different hospitals throughout the city. Queen St. E. is blocked at the scene as the Toronto police homicide squad investigates.

Earlier this morning, 680 News reported the shooting victim that was in critical condition has died, but later clarified that only one victim had died so far. The police department says it can't confirm that or release any more information and also is not releasing any suspect information at this time.

Woman Stabbed In Neck In Grocery Store Parking Lot

2008-09-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Toronto Police are dealing with the aftermath of a troubling crime on Friday and they don't know yet if it was a random attack by a stranger or something else.

It happened just after the noon hour, when a woman was coming out of the Canadian Superstore at 51 Gerry Fitzgerald Drive in North York. The complex is part of a relatively new and block-long shopping centre in the Dufferin and Steeles area and is almost always busy.

Police say the circumstances of the crime are especially odd and disturbing. The victim was heading back to her car when a man approached her and began asking her for directions. She tried to help him but without warning, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the neck.
The attacker then fled and disappeared in the bustling area.

The woman was left bleeding from her wound and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Her condition is said to be serious but not life threatening.

Police are especially disturbed by what may be a completely random and unprovoked incident that took place in a crowded place in broad daylight. It's not clear if the victim knew the man who accosted her or whether he was a complete stranger. Cops will know more after she's treated and they can talk to her.

Part of the parking lot has been cordoned off as police search for evidence and witnesses. The only description of the suspect so far is that it was a white male, mid-20s, medium build.

Bloody Tuesday: Three Separate Shootings In Less Than 5 Hours In TO + Broad Daylight murder in Missisauga = 3 murders in one day

2008-09-16T15:18:00.001-07:00

What in the world is going on in the GTA? Police and residents across the city are asking each other that question after the third shooting in the city in less than five hours. In addition, in Mississauga a man was shot to death in broad daylight this afternoon. So far the shooting at Jane & Finch has produced one fatality - shot in the head. A man was also stabbed to death at Sheppard and Kennedy.

The first commanded the attention of parents and students just after noon, when a 16-year-old boy was struck down by bullets at Bendale Business and Technical Institute on Midland Ave. Toronto Police are seeking up to three suspects in that shocking case.

And then, just before 5pm, their colleagues in Peel wound up hearing sirens of their own, after someone was hit by bullets in Mississauga.

Shots rang out at Morning Star and Reindeer Drive near Derry and Airport Roads (top left). It's not clear who was hit but police confirm the victim in that case has been seriously wounded.

The scene is only a block away from a drive-by shooting that forced the lockdown of several schools in the area the day before. No one was hit in that incident.

Minutes later, more bullets found their mark. A victim who's believed to be around 16 was shot in the head at 4400 Jane St. near Finch just after 5pm. The incident reportedly took place on a basketball court. Some sources indicate the wounded party is a male and that he has been pronounced dead at the scene.

There's no word on motives in any of the shootings or whether the latest one might be related to what happened at the school earlier in the day.

Check back for updates as they become available @ http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_26933.aspx

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/500284

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/500306

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/500451

Boy Critically Wounded in High School Shooting

2008-09-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Police began receiving 911 calls from the Lawrence and Midland campus after the shots rang out just before noon.

The teen was reportedly discovered near the pool inside the building bleeding from at least one gunshot wound to the chest. His injuries are life threatening and he remains in critical condition.

The ETF has set up a command post outside as the search for suspects continues and Chief Bill Blair is on scene as well, a sign of how seriously police are taking this case.

It's reported the weapon that was used may be a sawed off shotgun.

Blair says it started just before noon when some kind of fight broke out involving at least one student at the school.

The incident took place in a large green space behind the parking lot at the school and the victim may have staggered back inside. The gunman and at least two others ran off. Police are sure they didn't go back inside but they don't know if the shooter was also a Bendale student.

An early description suggests he's:

18-19,
5'8"-5'10"
Black

He was wearing a cloth hat and a back pack.

A huge perimeter has been set up along Midland Ave. and the road is closed off from Lawrence all the way to Ellesmere so motorists are advised to avoid the area. Heavily armed ETF officers can be seen patrolling the street.

Nearby Donwood Park P.S., David and Mary Thomson C.I. and Highbrook Learning Centre were also placed in lockdown as a precaution but the prohibitions at all the locations - including Bendale - were lifted just before 2:30pm.

The shooting comes the day after Toronto Police began patrolling some local schools - but Bendale isn't one of them.

It's the latest in what is becoming a series of lockdowns in GTA schools of late. On Monday, Newtonbrook Secondary S.S. in North York was off limits after a gun threat. Another school in Malton was shuttered when a drive-by shooting took place nearby.

Woman Kidnapped At Her Home

2008-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

It started around 11:20pm Wednesday when a 23-year-old woman came home to her Westcreek Drive residence in the Altona and Finch area of Pickering. She was unloading her car when she was startled to see three black men emerge from the darkness.

One had a gun in his hand.

He made her give up her credit and debit cards and forced her to reveal her PIN.

The men then led the woman at gunpoint and made her crouch down in the backseat of her own car, as they took off for a wild ride across the city. The vehicle wound up in Toronto and to her great relief, the victim was let off near Ellesmere and Victoria Park and the bandits roared away.

There's only a limited description of all the suspects and all three are the same:

Male,
Black,
18-25,
Tall,
Wearing dark clothing.

Student Stabbed And Attacked With Meat Cleaver At Toronto High School

2008-09-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

It has been another violent day in the GTA. This time the scene is a Toronto high school and the victim is a student.

Reports indicate a teenage boy was stabbed in the left shoulder and slashed on the back with a knife and then suffered a puncture wound to his head after being bludgeoned with a meat cleaver. It happened on the grounds of Georges S. Henry Academy on Graydon Hall Dr. in the Don Mills and York Mills area.

It's not clear what sparked the noontime dispute but police are on the hunt for three young teens about the victim's age who are also believed to be students at the school. They're said to be dressed in the academy's uniform, which consists of black pants and white shirts.

They're believed to be armed with the knife and a hammer used in the attack.

The victim was seriously hurt and he's been taken to hospital to be treated for his wounds.

It's the second such incident in a Toronto high school this week. On Monday, a 15-year-old was stabbed in the chest at Newtonbrook Secondary School near Yonge and Steeles. His wounds weren't life threatening, either.

It's also not the first time sirens have screamed to this campus. On April 10th, a knife fight near the school drew blood between several battling attackers. The next day, a reported gun sighting led to a lockdown that lasted several hours. A student was later charged with mischief, after the report proved to be false.

And on June 6th, Henry went into a lockdown again after a student was pistol whipped inside one of the washrooms. A suspect surrendered the next day.

Man Murdered And Dumped On 401 Near Keele

2008-09-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

A startling crime has crippled traffic and sparked a city-wide hunt for a suspect after a man was shot several times in the head before being tossed onto Highway 401 from a moving vehicle Tuesday.

The bullet-ridden body tumbled onto the busy eastbound collector lanes near Keele St. around 2:45pm. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, but it's not yet clear if he was killed by the gunshots, or was hit by oncoming traffic. The end result was the same however, and his body was covered by a blue tarp in the middle of the highway, where it remains.

As a result, the O.P.P. have completely closed all the eastbound collector lanes in the area.

It's believed the suspect's car, possibly a champagne-coloured Lexus, was seen racing away from the scene. Police believe that same vehicle was later found on fire at 2 Armel Court near Albion and Weston. That's directly in front of the Humber Valley Golf Course, which was subsequently cleared while police combed the area. The K-9 unit is on scene and police have set up a perimeter in the area.

There are reports the person who owns the car may be a woman. She may also be the main suspect. Torching a car is a classic way of destroying evidence, but it's not yet clear how the blaze was started. If the suspect was indeed trying to burn evidence, they may not have succeeded. Toronto Fire was on the scene quickly and it doesn't appear that the car was badly damaged.

Two Murders In Violent 24 Hours In Toronto

2008-09-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Homicide detectives are busy examining two crime scenes after an extremely violent start to the week which included a fatal shooting and apparent stabbing that happened just hours apart.

Police were called to a fifth floor unit in an apartment complex at 2350 Finch Ave. W., near Weston Road, around 8pm Monday night where they discovered the lifeless body of a woman said to be in her 20s. Reports suggest the victim was stabbed to death in the neck and head.

The woman apparently worked at an Esso gas station across the street from her home and police were called when she failed to show up for work. When cops arrived at the residence they reportedly found no signs of forced entry.

The victim's name and age haven't been released.

This is apparently the third major police call to this newly-built social housing complex and some residents complain it's too dangerous and are considering moving out of the area.

"There's only 25 individuals actually that live in the place. It's brand new. It's a good building, and nobody would have ever anticipated something like this," local Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti said.

Just hours before police were called to the crime scene on Finch a young man was gunned down at an Eglinton Avenue bus stop, near Keele Street, just before 3pm prompting authorities to order five schools in the area to go into lockdown for a couple of hours.

The 18-year-old victim, Stephen Barton (pictured), was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives are still trying to determine if this was a targeted or random shooting. A post-mortem conducted Tuesday confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound.

Witnesses said they heard at least two shots.

The triggerman was last seen running northbound on Glenhaven Street, which prompted police to close down surrounding streets in their search for the suspect, who's still at large. He's described as:

Black,
17-20,
6'2",
Hair in corn rows.
He's also believed to have been wearing a bright blue baggy shirt and dark baggy pants.

These murders weren't the only violent attacks police were called out to investigate Monday. A 15-year-old was stabbed by another teen near Newtonbrook Secondary School at Yonge and Hilda, near Steeles Avenue. The young victim is expected to make a full recovery.

And cops were called to the Jane Street and Harding Avenue area, near Trethewey, after a 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg late Monday night. It's not life-threatening.

Broad Daylight Bus Stop Shooting Murder

2008-09-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

The lockdowns of five schools in the Eglinton and Glenhaven St., area were finally lifted at around 5pm Monday, but police are still on the hunt for the person who shot and killed a man near the busy intersection while he stood at a bus stop.

The shooting took place around 2:45pm. The victim, believed to be in his 20s, had no vital signs when paramedics arrived and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was shot in the head and chest.

It's not clear what led to the gunplay, or if the victim was chosen at random or targeted.Police have a description of their suspect: He's:

Black,
17-20,
6'2",
Hair in corn rows.

He's also believed to have been wearing a bright blue baggy shirt and dark baggy pants.

Armed Robbery of 77-Year Old

2008-09-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

Toronto Police are on the hunt for a black man accused of robbing a 77-year-old - with a handgun.

The elderly male victim was using an ATM near Bloor and Royal York when the stick-up allegedly occurred. It happened Friday morning, and cops released surveillance video Saturday.

Suspect is described as:

male
black
late teens to early 20s
wearing black jeans and an oversized black hooded sweatshirt with a white design on the front with white trim on the bottom and the cuffs

Latest homicide victim was bound, stabbed repeatedly

2008-09-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Toronto police have released more details about the city's latest homicide, but have not yet publicly identified the victim.

At a news conference at police headquarters on Friday afternoon Det.-Sgt. Frank Skubic said the victim was a 31-year-old Asian female, but would not name her, saying her family has not yet been notified.

The woman was found Tuesday evening in her apartment near Bayview Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East.

According to Skubic, the woman was found with her hands bound behind her back on the floor of her bedroom. She had been stabbed multiple times in the head, chest, neck, back, legs.

Police are asking for friends to come forward, hoping they will be able to give more detail about the woman's recent activities.

Skubic told the news conference there was "no indication this was a robbery" and said police were looking at any and all possibilities.

"We are actively looking at occurrences that have occurred recently in that community," he said.

Police say the woman advertised a room for rent on a Chinese language website and would like anyone who contacted the victim or went to her apartment, at 75 Talara Dr., to also contact police.

Man Shot While Sitting In Car Following Road Rage

2008-08-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

There has been yet another shooting in Toronto, the second in broad daylight in two days.

The latest incident took place around 5pm at 24 Channing Place in the Highway 27 and Finch area. It's not clear exactly what happened, but it appears a man was hit in the shoulder as he was sitting in a car and police are suggesting road rage may be to blame.

Reports suggest another vehicle was seen speeding away from the scene right after as many as three or four bullets flew. Cops are on the hunt for a purple Dodge Intrepid with tinted windows.

Investigators say it looks as though there was some kind of argument over a "traffic incident" and the suspect may have followed the victim a short distance before opening fire.

It's the second gun battle in the middle of the afternoon in less than 24 hours. On Wednesday afternoon, a fist fight that involved as many as five men wound up with one of the participants allegedly shooting several bullets into the air near Keele and Eglinton.

15-year-old boy shot dead in Mississauga Outside of School

2008-08-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

The most violent year in Peel Region's history continued last night as a 15-year-old boy was shot dead behind a school in Mississauga.

Police confirmed that the victim was found behind St. Jude Separate School at 175 Nahani Way, in the Eglinton Ave. E. and Hurontario St. area, at around 6:30 p.m.

The victim had no vital signs when police arrived but was taken to hospital. Police have not apprehended the male suspect.

The suspect is described as black, early 20's, no further description of the suspect was available but police were interviewing several witnesses last night. There are three schools and a community centre in the area, police said.

Yesterday's death brings Peel's homicide total to 19 – a record for the region. Last year, there were 15 homicides; in 2006, 12 people were killed.

Man Randomly Stabbed Through Window During Rush Hour

2008-08-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

It happened during the rush hour at Highway 10 and Bovaird in Brampton Tuesday afternoon, as the westbound victim was stopped at a light. For reasons that still aren't clear, a male got out of a nearby vehicle, approached the victim, reached in through the window and began hacking at the driver with a "rambo-style knife".

By the time the startling attack was over, the 20-year-old motorist had suffered serious knife wounds to the stomach and arm. The assailant fled and cops eventually located the wounded man on Horsham St., a few blocks away.

He was rushed to hospital in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect is described as:

Black,
5'5"-5'8",
20s.

Beheading on Greyhound Bus (Manitoba)

2008-08-10T15:12:00.001-07:00

A man was beheaded on a bus in Manitoba by a chinese immigrant named Vince Weiguang Li. The man was stabbed at least 60 times in the neck, and then beheaded by the chinaman. Li then carved pieces of the victims flesh off the body and ate them, as well as taunted police officers with the head.

Man Shot In Head In Scarborough

2008-08-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

A man who was gunned down Sunday in a Scarborough parking lot has been identified.

Ryan St Christopher Rowe-Reid, 20, was pronounced dead at hospital later that night.

Also needing medical attention was another man in his 20s who was able to walk to the emergency room, suffering from non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

Officers alleged a third man was involved in the altercation, opening fire on the pair at 1701 McCowan Road before fleeing in a dark blue mini van.

The suspect is described as

black
6'
male

He was wearing a baggy, dark hooded sweatshirt and black denim jeans.

T.O. Heading Straight For New 'Summer Of The Gun'

2008-07-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

It's a term you've heard a lot in the GTA since the murder of 15-year-old Jane Creba on Boxing Day 2005 - the Year Of The Gun.

Police in the city are fearful we may be heading through another season of heated firearm violence, after seven murders in the last two weeks - and several instances of gunplay that have left others wounded in Toronto.

How bad have things become? Consider this - this season already has the potential to be worse than what we endured just a year ago. The numbers tell the tragic tale. This season has seen a 13.8 percent increase in gunfire and a whopping 31.8 per cent hike in victims over 2007. The murder total stands at 36.

Many admit they're afraid of doing almost anything for fear of invoking the wrath of an unthinking gunman. "You can get shot just for tapping somebody the wrong way on a crowded sidewalk," shrugs Lisa Critch a building superintendent on Weston Road, the scene of a shooting on Saturday. "That's how sad this city has become."

She insists the victims in that case were simply out enjoying the night air when shots rang out. "Poor guy and his buddy came out to have a cigarette and someone tried to come into the building, didn't say anything to him, put his hands on the door, turned around, walked away, turned and shot the kid for nothing."

Most of the shootings this past weekend took place in the west end. Many of the killings have hit members of Toronto's black community hard. (All recorded suspects in the shootings have been black).

Man Stabbed In The Head On Kipling

2008-07-28T16:22:00.001-07:00

A man is in hospital after a terrifying knife attack on Kipling early Sunday morning.

The victim was found at 2645 Kipling with stab wounds on his back and the side of his head.

When officers arrived on the scene around midnight, they immediately rushed the man to Sunnybrook. He remains there in serious condition.

Three Men Shot To Death In Etobicoke

2008-07-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

The bodies of three men were found inside a car on Lunness Road near Valermo just before 4am. Homicide detectives are now on the scene of what they're calling a triple murder.

"What we have at the scene here are three young deceased males in a gold SUV," confirmed Homicide Squad Detective Dean Burks.

When asked if that meant the men were in their 20s, he replied "young males."

They have not been identified.
"I don't know anything about their background or their relationship," Burks admitted.

"Unfortunately, I can't give you a lot of details. It's very early in the investigation at this point."
It appears they died of gunshot wounds; however, that has not been confirmed. But, Burks added, "There are multiple gunshot wounds going into the SUV."

A machine gun may have been used.

Police also believe that the men may have been murdered somewhere else and then driven to the location where they were found.

"We have information that there was another individual in the vehicle," revealed the detective.
There's no word on a motive, or suspects.

Police aren't sure where the original crime scene is. However, there have were two shootings Saturday with no victims found on the scene. Officers only found shell casings.

Fatal Nightclub Shooting Murder

2008-07-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

One man is dead and police are hunting for his killer after shots rang out in a Scarborough plaza early Saturday morning.

Michael Watson, 28, was found inside the "Inner Circle" club around 1am.
Allegedly, a private birthday party was being held at the nightspot at the time; however, it was also open to the public.

Police aren't sure if Watson was the target of the shooting or whether the gunfire inside the establishment was random or intended for someone else.

"We have no idea at this time. We know that patrons fled out the front and back, and we're not sure which exit the shooter [took]," he replied.
The detective added that there could be multiple gunmen.
"...if there was more than one, [we don't know] as to what door they went out of. That is something that we have to look into."

Watson is Toronto's 32nd murder victim of 2008.

It's not the first time that stretch road as seen a killing. Back in July of 2007, two men died in a double murder allegedly committed by an underage suspect. Days after the slayings, a 16-year-old turned himself in to police.

Spate Of Shootings in Toronto

2008-07-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Police are searching for suspects in separate shootings, including one fatal, that rocked three neighbourhoods just hours apart.

Officers pepper sprayed one person at the scene of an early morning shooting Friday in the Jane and Finch area.

Authorities had to deal with an unruly crowd shortly after they arrived at 15 Shoreham Ct. after reports of a shooting. A man police took into custody apparently got out of hand which prompted officers to use pepper spray. That reportedly upset several people at the scene and cops rushed the man away from the area in a cruiser to a nearby street to wait for an ambulance.

So far, no arrests have been made in the shooting and no victim has been found.
Hours earlier, bullets flew on a very busy stretch of Bloor Street in the Annex, hitting two people.
A man in his early 20s was shot twice - in the torso and the arm - and a woman, also in her early 20s, was shot in the foot around 11pm Thursday at Bloor and Brunswick Avenue. Both victims are expected to recover.

Authorities said at least five shots were fired on the street, which was packed with people at the time, and they've spoken with several witnesses but so far the shooter hasn't been found.
And for the second time in less than a week a person was shot in a neighbourhood near Morningside and Ellesmere. The most recent incident was fatal.
A man was gunned down just after 6:30pm Thursday on a pathway outside an apartment complex at 90 Mornelle Ct.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
This fatal shooting marks the city's 31st homicide of the year and the 16th death by gunfire.

Bank Holdup at Gunpoint in Richmond Hill

2008-07-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

There were some terrifying moments Wednesday afternoon for employees of a Scotiabank branch in Richmond Hill.

A masked man armed with a gun burst into the Bayview Ave. and Highway 7 branch in the early afternoon, threatening to open fire unless he was given cash.

One worker, Tonia Alaimo, described hearing the commotion.

"I just heard everything and I hid under my desk the whole time," she said. "I was in the back. I didn't see, I just heard. I knew we were being robbed.

"I heard, 'Give me all your money,' and I heard some . like the rustling of the cash."

Only a few employees were in the bank during the broad daylight stick-up, and fortunately no one was injured. Police aren't sure how much money the bandit took. He had a stolen Honda CR-V, which he ditched in a nearby parking lot before apparently leaving in a black BMW.

At this point York Regional Police haven't put out a suspect description. They're working on that information and plan to release it as soon as they can.

Sexual Assaults

2008-07-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

The alleged assaults happened between June 1st and July 1st and involved two women, aged 41 and 18, and a 15-year-old boy. Authorities said the victims were led to believe they'd face dire consequences for not giving into the suspect's demands.

Nyron Gill is charged with two counts of sexual assault, incest and invitation to sexual touching. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

Family Seeks Shelter After Thugs Shoot Up Their House

2008-07-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

A west-end family is living in terror after at least seven bullets were pumped through the front of their house.

The shooting happened just before 11pm on Tuesday night on Denison Avenue, in the Bathurst and Dundas area. Police say four small children and two adults were inside the home when the bullets went through the door and whizzed through the living room. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Two black suspects were seen fleeing the scene, but police are still on the hunt for the suspects.

"I was standing right behind the door but the bullet ricocheted and went to the stairs. It bounced off and went the opposite way," said a male adult who was inside his girlfriend's house at the time.

The family thinks the brazen act was meant to send them a clear message after they recently moved in from a rival neighbourhood.

One Man Shot in Head, One In Serious Condition After Murder In Scarborough

2008-07-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night marked the city's 28^th homicide and 15^th gun related death of the year after a man in his 20s was fatally shot at a housing complex on Victoria Park Ave., near Lawrence.

The violence erupted at around 7pm. The deceased victim was actually the second individual targetted during the attack. Another man, also believed to be in his 20s, was shot at first inside the complex. He suffered wounds to the shoulder area and arm and was rushed to hospital where he remains in serious condition. The second victim was hit with a lethal head wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. His lifeless body was sprawled out in a grassy area between two buildings, offering a frightening spectacle for those who call the area home.

"I was walking out and I seen the kid laying in the parking lot," said nearby resident Cecile, who adds that after the killing he gave his landlord notice that he was moving out.

Witnesses heard as many as 9 shots and up to 7 people were seen fleeing the scene on foot. Police believe one or more may have jumped into a car to make a quick getaway.

"It appeared that the suspects had fled on foot, but there is some belief now that they may have gotten into a black vehicle," notes Det. Mike Carbone.

"I heard a bunch of bangs, pops, and when I looked down I saw smoke and then a bunch of black males running one way and two guys running another way," adds witness Wendy Newman.

Woman HasFingers Chopped Off During Violent Home Invasion

2008-06-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Two men barged into a basement apartment in the Murray Dr. and Richardson Dr. area of Aurora, just west of Yonge St., at around 11 p.m. One was wielding a machete-type knife, and the other was brandishing a gun.

Sometime during the ordeal things got physical, and the 20-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man who also lives in the apartment, became involved in a fight for their lives.

During the struggle one of the suspects chopped at the woman's hand, severing her fingers.

"(There was) police activity all over the place," said neighbourhood resident John Dawson. "They had the dogs, the K-9 squad. They were in and out of the house, (taking) pictures, searching up and down the laneway."

The suspects fled the scene and are still on the loose.

"It doesn't matter where you live these days now," adds another neighbour, Ken. "It seems to be even the finest upscale neighbourhoods, there's grow ops popping up and drug activity and home invasions going on everywhere."

The suspects are described as;

SUSPECT #1:

Male, black, 18 to 24 years
5'7" to 5'9", 150 lbs.
Skinny build
Shaved head
Wearing dark-coloured pants and a red sweater
Carrying a black handgun

SUSPECT #2:

Male, black, early 20's
6'2" to 6'3", 175 lbs.
Medium build with wide shoulders
Hairstyle is short, twisted knots
Wearing black pants and a navy blue hooded-sweater
Carrying a machete

5 Shot in the T-Dot Last Night, 4 Stabbed

2008-06-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

The first shooting happened just after 1:30am Sunday. An adult male was found sprawled on the sidewalk near Jane Street and Woolner Ave.

Emergency crews arrived on scene and began frantically working to save his life. He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance (pictured) but pronounced dead at Sunnybrook.

Police have not yet released his name, and there's no word on the suspect.

A house party on Kingston Road took a dangerous turn around 3:30am Sunday. Shots rang out a townhouse complex on the street just east of McCowan, leaving three people wounded.

A woman in her 40s was shot in the hip, a man in his 30s took a bullet to the arm, and a man in his 20s was hit in the foot.

The details of the third shooting are less clear. What police do know is that a man in his 20s showed up in hospital with serious gun shot wounds and isn't expected to survive.

Also, 4 people were stabbed during the night of violence which has become completely typical and expected in Toronto.

Innocent 25 year old Victims Of Double Murder

2008-06-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

They had just finished watching the NBA game, LA versus Boston in the finals, at a friend's condo.

The night ended late, verging on Friday morning. Dylan Ellis and Oliver Martin, both 25, headed out to the Range Rover that belonged to one of their fathers. Ellis, wearing glasses, is pictured with Martin above.

It appears they drove away with a female friend in the back, and then returned to the apartment near Walnut Ave and Richmond Street.

What happened next is almost unbelievable. As they sat in the SUV, with the engine running but the vehicle still in park, a shooter approached.

Police believe the suspect, or suspects, wanted that high-end Range Rover. Instead, in a carjacking gone horribly wrong, both men ended up dead.

What makes Friday's early morning double murder so terrifying is that it could have been anybody.

Police may now have reason to believe the murders were part of a gang-initiation ritual.

Also Saturday, investigators offered the first description of the suspect in the double slaying.

He is described as:

Male, black
Light coloured shirt
Dark coloured pants
Riding a mountain bike

Regent Park Double Shooting

2008-06-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Two young teens remain in hospital after as many as six shots were fired on a walkway behind 463 Gerrard St., as hundreds of neighbours, pedestrians and children wandered around the area during the afternoon rush.

One victim, an 18-year-old, is clinging to life in hospital in very critical condition. The other, a 15-year-old boy, was less seriously hurt.

Cops still aren't sure who they're looking for but are anxious to speak to a black male seen riding his bike away from the scene just after the bullets were fired. They're also on the hunt for a burgundy SUV carrying 3 black males that sped from the area around the same time.

Man Ambushed/Shot By Fake Delivery Men At His Front Door

2008-06-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

When a 33-year-old Woodbridge man heard a knock on his front door Thursday afternoon, he peered out and noticed what appeared to be two delivery men on his front step. After quickly assessing the situation as harmless, he opened the door. Police don't know if he was expecting a delivery, but he surely wasn't expecting what happened next.

When he unlocked the entrance, he suddenly found himself facing two men, both carrying loaded guns. Things went from bad to worse when they opened fire, hitting him in the arms and stomach.

The victim fell to the ground bleeding heavily as his two assailants fled the scene.

Sex Assault Suspect

2008-06-13T20:58:00.001-07:00

The 28-year-old victim was walking near Burnhamthorpe and the West Mall around 2:30pm last Thursday when without warning a man walked up to her, indicated he had a weapon that he'd use if she didn't comply and then began to sexually assault her.

The woman didn't panic and instead called out to a non-existent boyfriend, yelling at "him" to come over and help her. When the suspect heard that someone was on his way, he got distracted and she was able to flee to safety.

He's described as:

Black,
Dark complexion,
18,
5'8"-5'9",
150 lbs.,
Thin face,
Clean shaven,
Unkempt "Afro"-style hair.

Accused Bolts From T.O. Courtroom

2008-06-13T20:56:00.001-07:00

Police are hunting for a suspect who was appearing before a judge on firearms related charges at 10am Wednesday morning at 361 University Ave. Just seconds after the judge ordered him held in custody, the 22-year-old turned around, looked at the door, and suddenly bolted from the room.

Court security took off after him in hot pursuit but he was too fast and had enough of a head start that he was able to evade them.

Renaldo Reid was last seen fleeing onto University Ave. and turning westbound on Queen St. West. A manhunt is out to find him but cops have no idea where he is now.

is described as:

Black,
6'3",
200 lbs.,
Slim build,
Brown eyes,
Black hair in cornrows.

Jamal David Williams Charged With Trying To Disarm Cop

2008-06-04T15:33:00.001-07:00

The cop was on a routine patrol at the arrivals level at Pearson International Airport around 2am, when he was attacked without warning from behind.

Peel Police say a suspect tried to grab the officer's gun from his holster as a struggle for control began in the terminal. It didn't take the veteran cop long to get the upper hand and he managed to get the man under control and keep him from reaching the weapon.

Other officers ran to the scene and helped in the arrest. The cop suffered minor injuries in the fracas but was otherwise unharmed.

Jamal David Williams, a 33-year-old drifter, was in court on Wednesday, charged with assaulting and attempting to disarm an officer.

Man Dies In Hail Of Bullets Right Outside High School

2008-05-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

The victim, who is believed to be just 19, died at Scarborough Centenary Hospital after a valiant but sadly futile attempt by ambulance attendants to save his life. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots, and the victim was hit numerous times in the chest.

"One individual indicated that he heard six shots ... The forensic unit is down on-scene as well determining exactly how many shots were fired," PC Tony Vella explained.

The brazen killing took place just steps away from Blessed Mother Teresa High School near Neilson and Sewells. The school was put in lockdown and worried parents descended on the area, something police tried to dissuade by reminding them that a murder suspect was still on the loose. The school re-opened several hours later and students were dismissed at the normal time.

Witnesses originally said two men were seen fleeing the scene, but cops are now only looking for one.

"We have one suspect that was responsible for the shooting," Insp. David Brown confirms.

A neighbourhood resident named Voula was gardening when she heard the shots ring out. She turned to see the victim laying in the street.

Cops are outraged by the brazen nature of the murder. "I would think the person is a coward for shooting somebody in cold blood," condemns Det. Sgt. Dan Sheppard. "It's careless and puts a lot of people in jeopardy."

It's not the first time violence has hit the school. In September 2007, two students were stabbed off of school property.

Noor Ahmad Shah Basil, age 52 Sexual Predator

2008-05-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Durham Regional Police have arrested a man responsible for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl at a public pool.

The disturbing incident happened on Tuesday May 20, just after 8pm at the South Oshawa Community Centre on Cedar Street, authorities said. The youngster told police she was swimming with her friends and then left the pool to sit in the hot tub, which was empty when she got in.

A few moments later and man entered the hot tub and sat down very close to the child, tried to spark up a conversation with her and then allegedly sexually assaulted her. Frightened, the girl tried to get out but the suspect grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back towards him, police said. The man finally let the youngster go when she called out to the pool supervisor.

Staff members saw a man matching the suspect's description on Tuesday May 27 and immediately called police.

Officers arrived and allegedly found the man in the hot tub once again.

Noor Ahmad Shah Basil, age 52, of Birchcliffe Avenue in Oshawa faces two charges: sexual assault and sexual interference. He is being held for a bail hearing.

Cops aren't sure if these two incidents are the only ones. If you have more information, call 1-888-579-1520 ext 5338 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Suspect Sought For Three Sex Assaults In North York

2008-05-22T17:50:00.001-07:00

Women walking in North York may want to pay extra attention to their surroundings after three sexual assaults were reported in the area over the past several weeks.

All of the disturbing incidents happened after midnight between April 2 and May 17 in an area bounded by Bathurst to the west, Yonge Street to the east, Sheppard Avenue to the south and Steeles Avenue to the north.

In each case, a man approached the victims, tried to strike up a conversation and then sexually assaulted them. The suspect took off on foot and then got into a silver car, possibly a four-door.

The suspect is described as:

Black
25 to 30-years-old
5'10" - 6'
175 to 200lbs.,
He has short, black hair and was wearing a dark, hooded jacket, black pants and a black shirt during one of the attacks.

If you have any information that could help investigators call the Sex Crimes Unit at (416) 808-7474 or Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-TIPS.

Victim Of Streetcar Stop Stabbing Remains In Hospital

2008-05-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

By now you've heard the story about the 26-year-old college student who had just left a gym and was waiting for a streetcar at Broadview and Danforth around 8:30pm Tuesday night. From out of nowhere, a man appeared, pulled out a knife and began stabbing her, hitting her twice in the stomach and once in the arm.

She suffered serious life-threatening wounds and her screams scared him off. A Good Samaritan arrived to help save her life while others followed the man and pointed him out to police.

Cops arrested 47-year-old Samad Dabiri not far from the scene. He's a man they've become all too familiar with because he's been accused of committing the same kind of crime not once but twice before in the past. And every time he's been let back out after facing charges.

The suspect in this case has severe mental problems and was charged in a similar attack back in 2003, when an elderly man suffered knife wounds to the stomach at the Dufferin Mall. Another incident traces back to 1999, when Dabiri was collared for threatening and a weapons charge.

Why was he back out in public? A frustrated Det. Darren Laing claims the man's mental state has kept him out of jail several times. "That charge in 2003, he was found guilty of committing the act," he reveals. "However, he was found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder."

Dabiri was sent to a hospital and came under control of an Ontario health panel, which eventually judged him well enough to be released back onto the streets. It was on those same streets that he's accused of committing the random act Tuesday night. There's still no known motive.

"It's very frustrating for me," an exasperated Laing agrees. "It should be frustrating for everyone. He was remanded into a psychiatric facility the summer of 2003. Best of my information, by the late summer of 2004, he's already back in the community on some level. He received a conditional discharge from the Ontario Review Board in the fall of 2006 and then an absolute discharge from them in 2007."

Laing says the suspect is a landed immigrant and that he's already spoken to federal officials about his future status in this country.

The suspect made his first appearance at College Park Courts in the morning and will be back before a judge on Friday. But given the revolving door he's already been through and his previous journey around the justice system, cops aren't confident about their ability to keep him off the streets for long.

"I suspect this will be taken out of our hands and it will end up back in mental health courts," Laing concludes. "I'm frustrated and my fear is this will continue until he kills somebody."

Teen Choked For Her iPod At Subway Station

2008-05-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Police are on the hunt for two men and a woman, after a young passenger was robbed as she got off a subway train Tuesday night. The 17-year-old was riding on the Bloor-Danforth line around 9:30pm and was listening to her iPod, when three people got on at one of the stops.
One of the men went up to the uneasy rider and started talking to her about her MP3 player.

She responded and then got off the train. But the trio followed close behind, and before she knew it, one of them grabbed her and pushed her into a secluded corner near the station's elevator.
The terrified teen was choked by the suspect, who put his hand over her mouth, while the female reached for her iPod and ripped it from her body. All three ran upstairs, grabbed a cab and disappeared. Police were called but they were long gone.

The victim's injuries were severe enough that she required hospital treatment.
This kind of theft on the TTC isn't new, although the level of violence in this case worries cops.
iPods, with their distinctive white headphones, are especially attractive to thieves and small enough to be easily taken. Police are suggesting you keep them hidden and that users may want to at least replace their headsets with different coloured earbuds to fool would-be robbers into thinking that you have something less expensive. But it likely won't stop the attempts on the now ubiquitous devices.
For now, they'll just be happy to catch the three involved. They're described as:

Suspect#1

Male,
Black,
25-30,
5'10"

Suspect#2

Female,
Black,
25-30,
5'6",
Obese,
Short nappyblack hair.

Suspect#3

Male,
Black,
25-30,
6'2",

4 Carjackers Seen Committing A Terrible Crime On Video

2008-05-14T15:22:00.001-07:00

Toronto Police have released a two minute video that shows a shocking carjacking in progress.

It began Saturday night when a driver in an expensive Mercedes convertible was forced off the road by two other cars and wound up having to drive onto the down ramp and into the isolated underground parking area of the Air Canada Centre.

The people in the other cars got out and began assaulting those inside their chosen target. One escaped with just a beating.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22716.aspx

video here: http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/media/video/20080514-carjacking.wmv

The other wasn't quite as lucky, suffering an assault and an abduction, forced back into the vehicle he'd just been bodily removed from and driven all the way to Highway 409 near Pearson International Airport. He was unceremoniously dumped by the side of the road as his attackers took off into the night and disappeared.

The security video shows four men forcing the occupants out of the car in the garage, although what happens to them after that isn't pictured. The suspects are seen inspecting the vehicle for several minutes, apparently scouring it for valuables, before one of them finally gets in and drives it away.

They're described as:

Black,
20-30,
Medium build,
Red baseball cap,
Blue-and-pink, red-striped zip-up hoodie with white T-shirt underneath,
Blue jeans with fading on the legs,
White running shoes.

Black,
20-30,
Thin,
Short black hair,
White T-shirt with a multicoloured design,
Black jeans.
Black-and-white running shoes.

Black,
20-30,
Short black hair,
Thin,
Yellow T-shirt,
Blue jeans,
Dark shoes.

Black,
20-30,
Thin build,
Wearing beige short-sleeved button-up dress shirt,
Dark baseball cap,
Dark jeans.

Boy Charged For Pulling Knife On School Bus

2008-05-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

A 14-year-old student is in custody after a knife was allegedly brandished on a school bus Monday afternoon. It happened on Elmwood Avenue near Yonge Street in North York. No one was hurt and police say charges are pending.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22598.aspx

Etobicoke Gunplay Lands Teen In Hospital

2008-05-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

Police are on the hunt for two suspects Sunday night after a late-night shooting in Etobicoke.

The gunfire pierced the evening around 11pm Saturday, reportedly hitting a man several times in the leg and abdomen.

The victim, believed to be just 18 years old, was found on Duncanwoods Drive near Finch and Islington and EMS workers raced the teen to Sunnybrook Hospital where he's expected to recover.

Police say the victim was confronted by two men who fired multiple shots, though an exact motive isn't clear.

Suspects are described as

1) Male black, wearing a large winter coat

2) Male, no further description

Man Accused In Brutal Double Stabbing

2008-05-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

He wasn't a Good Samaritan - he was a good husband. And he gave up his life trying to save the woman he loved. Peel Regional Police have confirmed that the victims in Wednesday's deadly double stabbing in Brampton were a 52-year-old woman and her 53-year-old spouse.

And in an equally shocking turn of events, it was not a domestic as first believed. Instead, the man who attacked the couple was armed with two knives - and was a complete stranger to both of them.

"This man was armed with two knives and the attack was completely unprovoked," reveals Peel Police Insp. Norm English. "The husband saw what was occurring and attempted to save his wife but was overpowered by the male. Both victims suffered fatal stab wounds and died at the scene."

Cops describe the fatal weapons as kitchen type knives that sported nine-to-ten inch blades. They confirm the suspect tried to kill himself after the slayings, but was Tasered by police. Cops have not been able to question him, and he remains in hospital under guard.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22552.aspx

2nd Woman Carjacked and Sexually Assaulted in as many days

2008-03-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Between 7am and 8am on Sunday, a woman heading home was allegedly approached by two armed suspects.

They stole her car and sexually assaulted her. The victim was not seriously injured, but was taken to hospital.

Investigators are looking for 2003 Silver Chevy Cavalier, as well as the two suspects both are black males.

The suspects may still be armed. If you see them, don't approach - call 23 Division 416-808-2300 or CrimeStoppers 416-222-TIPS.

Possible Link In Murder of Mother of 3

2008-03-01T17:58:00.001-08:00

The night before a mother of three was killed in her flower shop, a similar robbery occurred.

On Wednesday night, a woman working at a Thornhill florist was bound with duct tape and forced at gunpoint into the fridge of the store. She was then robbed. Police are looking into possible links.

Meanwhile, an autopsy was completed on fatal victim Felicia Hosany, which determined she died of suffocation.

Woman Violently Carjacked At Woodbine Centre

2008-03-01T17:56:00.001-08:00

It could have been your grandmother. An elderly woman, in her 70s, was leaving the Woodbine Centre after a day of shopping Saturday. She never made it to her car.

Instead, two black thugs approached her in broad daylight. The suspects "punched her, knocked her down to the ground, stealing her car keys, taking her vehicle. Then, making their escape, actually drove over her hand," relates Sgt Kevin Sedore of Toronto Police.

After the brazen assault, the victim was taken to hospital for her injuries. She has since been released.

The callous suspects are still at large. She didn't get a good look at her attackers, but a limited description is below.

Suspect Descriptions:

1) Male black, tall, in his 20's, wearing a grey hooded sweater

2) Male, black, no further description

The police have a better idea of what kind of vehicle they're looking for:

2003 Mercedes, 4 Door, silver in colour, Ontario Licence Plate# AZYB 209

If you've seen the suspects or the car, call 23 Division 416-808-2300 or CrimeStoppers 416-222-TIPS.

Mother Of Three Murdered Inside North York Flower Shop

2008-02-29T06:21:00.001-08:00

Toronto homicide detectives have a vicious new case on their hands after a mother of three met a terrible end inside her North York flower shop.

Felicia Hosany's body was discovered at about 9pm Thursday inside the washroom of the family business that bore her name: Flowers By Felicia. The 51-year-old had been bound and gagged with duct tape.

Hosany's husband made the gruesome discovery at the Wilson Heights Blvd store near Allen Rd. and Sheppard after she was late coming home from work.

"He hadn't heard from her at about 9pm, she's usually home just after 7," explained Det. Sgt. Steve Ryan from the Homicide Squad.

"He got worried and came down here and that's where he found her. On its face it does look like a robbery."

According to investigators the store had signs of being ransacked and money was missing. An autopsy on Hosany's body was scheduled for Friday. There's no word on whether police have any leads on who killed her.

Cops Seek Suspects After Man Pistol Whipped

2008-02-28T05:20:00.000-08:00

A man was found beaten after having apparently been pistol whipped. He was sent to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre but his wounds aren't serious.

Heavily armed ETF officers descended on Chester Le Blvd., hunting for at least two suspects, who may be armed.

Cops say a fight broke out between three males around 2:30pm although they aren't sure yet what sparked it. After the victim sustained his injuries, the duo was seen running from the area and cops haven't found them.

Two nearby elementary schools, Chester Le Jr. P.S. and Epiphany Of Our Lord Catholic Academy, were both locked down for a time as a precaution.

Authorities are looking for a pair of suspects described only as two black males in their late teens.

Police Hope Pic Will Lead To Sex Assault Suspect

2008-02-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

They believe the male pictured at left may be responsible for a brazen sex assault that left a woman terrified and feeling terribly violated.

It happened around 12:30am Monday, as the victim was walking southbound down Dufferin St. near Bloor. A man grabbed her and bodily dragged her into Dufferin Grove Park, where he sexually assaulted her and then fled.

Security cameras caught a faint glimpse of a man heavily bundled up against the cold, but investigators are hoping it's enough to put a name to the face.

The suspect is described as:

20-30,
Dark complexion
5'7",
160 lbs.,
Black beard and moustache.

Terrifying Carjacking And Stabbing

2008-02-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

Toronto Police have issued the descriptions of two suspects after a man was ambushed, stabbed and then carjacked in the underground garage of his apartment building early Sunday morning.

The victim was approached around 5am near Islington and Dixon Rd. As he was about to get into his vehicle, two black, masked men emerged from the shadows - one holding a knife, the other armed with a gun. They demanded his keys but instead of simply driving off, they blindfolded and tied the hands of the helpless man, with one of the suspects holding him at knifepoint, while the other drove the car.

The victim managed to get his hands free during the ride and began struggling with his blade-wielding assailant. Both wound up suffering stab wounds, until the car stopped and his attackers subdued him again, tying the man back up.

The victim managed to free himself a second time, hailed a cab and went to his sister's home, where police and an ambulance were called. The man was treated at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and released.

The two wanted men are described as:

# 1:

Black,
5'8",
19-25.

He was wearing dark clothing and armed with a knife.

#2:

Black,
5'11",
19-25.

He was also wearing dark clothing, but armed with a handgun.

Fire Was Set To Cover up Murder

2008-02-25T05:53:00.001-08:00

It started out as a tragic investigation into a fatal fire.

It changed into a homicide case with no suspects.

And now it's ended with the arrest of a man in a murder.

On Friday, we told you about a fire in a Mississauga high rise and the discovery of a man's body in the ashes. It didn't take Peel Police long to discover the victim, 40-year-old Randall Hill, had been murdered and that the fire at 177 Dundas St. W. near Highway 10 had apparently been set to destroy evidence.

Double Shooting At Bar On College St.

2008-02-24T19:27:00.002-08:00

Extra cops patrolled the Entertainment District this weekend as university and college students rammed nightclubs one last time before the end of Reading Week. But reports of gunfire lead officials to a different part of town.

Police are on the hunt for a gunman after a double shooting at a bar on College St. early Sunday.

Two men were shot in the stomach at a private party at the Sensual Café at 565 College near Manning Ave. just before 1am.

Man Stabbed At Queen-Landsdowne

2008-02-24T19:27:00.001-08:00

A man in his 30s was taken to hospital early Sunday with stab wounds after an argument at an apartment in the Queen and Lansdowne area.

The two suspects are now in custody and facing charges.

Carjacking

Police have sealed off several crime scenes including an underground parking space after a carjacking-abduction in the Islington and Dixon area.

The victim's sister was about to take him to hospital before an ambulance arrived. A stolen Mercedes SUV was abandoned nearby but police haven't made any arrests.

Brampton Stabbing Victim Succumbs To Injuries

2008-02-24T19:26:00.001-08:00

A knife fight in a Brampton parking lot near Bovaird and Torbram has turned into a homicide investigation.

Two men were rushed to local area hospitals around 9:30pm Saturday with stab wounds.
But after putting up a fight with doctors by his side, Daniel Grandison, 20, succumbed to his injuries Sunday.

The second male, a 21-year-old, is still being treated in hospital and investigators are waiting to speak to him to determine what happened.

Peel officers have set up a mobile command post near the crime scene as they canvass the neighbourhood for witnesses.

Man Shot Dead In Scarborough

2008-02-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

Toronto Police homicide detectives are searching for clues in the city's latest murder.

A man, believed to be in his 20s, was found shot to death in the basement of a home near Markham Road and Lawrence just after 9:30pm Friday.

Apparently several males were seen running from the scene and reportedly drove off in two different vehicles.

There's no word on any arrests.

Cops Seek Somolian Slasher Who Attacked Two Men On Subway Platform

2008-02-22T19:45:00.001-08:00

It was an encounter in the subway that put the danger underground. And now police are hunting the man they say was behind it.

It happened on February 7th, when two men became locked in a dispute at the Finch station. As the duo fought, one of the combatants pulled out a knife and slashed his opponent in the face and the neck.

A passenger saw what was happening and tried to come to the 26-year-old victim's aid but the attacker turned on him, slashing him across the forearm.

A train came and the suspect got on, leaving both men bleeding on the platform. By the time police were called he was gone. But he was definitely not forgotten and police were able to seize the TTC's security video and find a shot of him fleeing the area.

They know it's grainy and it's small but they've solved tougher crimes with less and are hoping you recognize him.

He's described as:

Brown skinned,
23-25,
5'8",
130-140 lbs.,
Thin,
Receding dark hair,
Wearing prescription glasses.

Police say he may be Somalian, although they haven't revealed how they came to make that determination.

Both victims were treated for their wounds in hospital and released. But they want justice and that means collaring the violent man with the knife.

Woman Stabbed In Stomach

2008-02-22T06:31:00.001-08:00

A woman was stabbed in the stomach in the Ellesmere and Markham Road area of Scarborough on Thursday night. There's no word yet an any arrests. An investigation is ongoing.

Woman Sexually Assaulted Getting Off Bus in TO

2008-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

It was, according to the victim, like one of those terrifying scenes right out of the movies. It happened to a woman getting off a bus in the Vaughan Road and Kenwood Ave. area around 12:30am Tuesday.

The 21-year-old passenger got off the TTC vehicle and started walking briskly in the darkness. But she quickly sensed she wasn't alone. She glanced suspiciously to the other side of the street and saw a man she thought was looking at her and might be following her. When he crossed the street, he suddenly broke out in a run and headed straight for her.

The woman was so badly injured she had to be treated for her injuries in hospital.

Brampton Shooting, Murder Investigation

2008-02-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

We'll include this one too, its in the GTA so without further ado, here we go:

Gunfire broke out at a Brampton club overnight, leaving a man dead and police looking for suspects.

Peel Regional Police were called to the Trilogy Nightclub on Kennedy Rd. N. near Queen St. E. at about 2:30am Monday. They arrived on the scene to find the victim, identified as Andre Harrisingh, lying in the parking lot. He'd suffered critical injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital.

There's no word on a motive for the violence but Peel investigators are looking for a small white vehicle that was spotted leaving the scene along with a green SUV.

So far no suspect descriptions are available and it's unclear how many people cops are looking for. It's Peel Region's fourth homicide of the year.

Looking at his past history with the law, he deserved what he got!

Man Shot, Killed At House Party In Scarborough

2008-02-17T09:18:00.001-08:00

Gunfire broke out at a house party near Finch and Neilson overnight that left one man dead.

Police were called to a home on Dunsfold Drive where a party was going on that stretched well into the wee hours of Sunday morning.

It was just after 6am when neighbours heard several shots then reportedly saw someone running from the house.

When emergency crews arrived they discovered the body of a man lying in the doorway.

Reports show he was pronounced dead at the scene, but police have yet to confirm that.

Suspect described as:

in his early 20s
Black

Scarborough Stabbing

2008-02-17T09:17:00.003-08:00

A man is in hospital after he was found bleeding in a stairwell of an apartment building in Scarborough. Police were called to the scene on Cougar Court near Markham Road and Eglinton just after 3am Sunday. The victim had been stabbed multiple times but its believed his injuries are non life-threatening. There's no word yet of a suspect.

Mississauga Teen Shot, Robbed Near School

2008-02-17T09:17:00.001-08:00

A 17-year-old was hit in the knee by a bullet in Mississauga late Saturday. The incident happened around 10pm.

He managed to get himself to Credit Valley Hospital and is expected to be okay. Police said the victim told them he and another friend were robbed outside Credit Valley Public School near Erin Mills and Eglinton.

But investigators believe the shooting happened somewhere else. They also said he's being uncooperative with the investigation.

Armed Robbery Of Convenience Store

2008-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

Three teenage boys, aged 14 and 15, have been charged in an alarming store robbery that saw the workers held up at gunpoint.

Police allege the trio, two 15-year-olds and one 14-year-old, entered the Lawrence Ave. East and Birchmount Rd. area convenience store at about 9:50pm Wednesday. They contend the trio was armed with guns and wearing balaclavas and demanded money. An individual who walked into the store while the heist was taking place was also robbed.

Police Hunt For Gunman Behind Shooting At Scarborough Rec Centre

2008-02-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

Police are hunting for a gunman after a shooting outside an arena in the east end Saturday night.

Police taped off the parking lot of the Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre near Eglinton and Midland in their search for clues.

It was around midnight when a 21-year-old man was driving out of the parking lot after a basketball game when police said another man approached his car.

The suspect pulled a gun out of his jacket and fired a shot into the vehicle hitting the victim in the chest. He's been treated in hospital and is expected to recover.

Suspect described as:

in his late teens or early 20s,
Black (goes without saying really)
having a skinny face,
wearing a black hat and blue jacket