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This Week In Crime: March 24–30
Each week, Torontoist chooses the most interesting cases from the Toronto Police Service crime blotter. All charges are alleged until proven under law.
• The big story this week was the arrest of six kids for the murder of a 17-year-old boy in the Flemingdon Park area. On July 15, 2006, the victim was stripped and assaulted over several hours by a group of people outside a housing complex on Grenoble Drive, finally succumbing to stab wounds in the neck. As a result of the investigation, youths ranging from ages 14–17 were arrested this week and charged with first degree murder.
• On Tuesday, a 72-year-old defense lawyer from Stratford was arrested for trafficking cocaine and marijuana to an inmate at the Don Jail after a suspicious incident was discovered that same day.
• On Thursday morning, the Cabbagetown home of a woman and her 10-year-old daughter was broken-into. One of the items stolen was a gold necklace given to the girl by her late father just prior to his death and worn at his funeral (similar one pictured at right; pendant is the size of a quarter). Another stolen item was an Apple laptop, also a gift from her father, which contained photos of him. The investigators’ primary focus is to have the irreplaceable items of sentimental value turned-into a police station so they can be returned to the girl.
• A road rage incident escalated on the eastbound QEW just east of the 427 where the occupants of a brown Honda and a black BMW became involved in a physical altercation on the roadway. One of the men was subsequently stabbed and suffers life-threatening injuries.
• The Toronto Police Service launched Project Blue Dragon this week, which is a traffic safety initiative for the Chinatown area. The operation is in response to numerous complaints about the aggressive and distracted attitudes of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians in the area.
• A 17-year-old boy was shot at Thorncliffe Park Junior School after he fought back against a physical and pepper spray attack from a group of boys. After being shot twice at close range, the boy ran to the East York Town Centre, where he was pursued by three boys who continued to assault him, but fled after store employees intervened. The boys, aged 15–19, face a combined 20 charges, including attempted murder.
Anyone with information on the crimes listed above is asked to contact police at 416−808−2222 (non-emergency), or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477) or online at www.222tips.com. Some data are based on preliminary information and may not be verified. Crime classifications may change at a later date.