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A criminal network allegedly responsible for a host of violent crimes in both Ontario and Quebec has been dismantled after a multi-jurisdictional investigation that resulted in 13 arrests and over 150 charges laid, police representatives announced Monday at a news conference at York Regional Police headquarters.
This wasn’t a traditional street gang, but rather a “coalition of men from different groups and locations who would align themselves for profit-motivated violence,” York police Supt. Simon James told reporters.
That alleged violence includes:
- A shooting into a crowded emergency room in London, Ont., in December 2024.
- A homicide investigation in Rimouski, Que., from November 2024.
- An attempted shooting of a man in his driveway in Brampton, Ont., from December 2024.
- The shooting of a man in a crowded parking lot in Mississauga, Ont., from December 2024.
- An armed robbery at a bank in the GTA’s York Region from December 2024.
- A robbery at a cellphone store in Markham, Ont., from December 2024.
“These acts were brazen. They were brutal, and are completely unacceptable,” York police Chief Jim MacSween said.
“When it comes to committing violence, these suspects certainly did not discriminate. They showed complete disregard for the value of human life — and they left hundreds of victims in their wake.”
Identifying patterns
Officers from York police as well as police forces in Peel, Toronto and London were part of the investigation, which also included Ontario Provincial Police and the Sûreté du Québec. Six search warrants were carried out in five locations over the last several months, and as a result, over 150 charges have now been laid linked to 13 people, police say.
These incidents seemed to be unrelated at first, James said, but through analysis and information sharing, investigators identified patterns that linked them together.
This group also “recruited and exploited” younger people, using them as drivers and lookouts, and in some cases using them directly in criminal activity, James said.
“What emerged was a view of an alleged criminal organization with a clear structure,” he said — a core group of older offenders who handled elements like selecting targets, getting access to weapons, managing money and coordinating transportation, while a younger group supported them by carrying out instructions.
“You’re seeing very impressionable, vulnerable youth being groomed to join this group,” James said.
Teens as young as 14 involved: investigators
Money was a big factor in recruiting the youths involved, he said, while higher-ups in this enterprise recognized that young people were unlikely to spend much time in jail should they be arrested.
“It’s a mixture of things, but ultimately, you’re seeing kids — and I mean 14 and 15-year-old kids — who are being dragged into horrific, violent situations,” he said.
At the news conference, London Police Service Chief Thai Truong laid out how the city was shaken by “brazen, targeted acts of gun violence” on Dec. 14, 2024, when multiple rounds were fired at the doors of the London Health Sciences Centre’s emergency department.
“A pursuit through our city ended at the entrance to Victoria Hospital’s emergency room department — a place that is supposed to symbolize healing, safety, and trust,” he said.
Four guns were also seized as part of the investigation, police say.
Investigators say they are still searching for a 19-year-old man from Hamilton and a 24-year-old man of no fixed address as part of the case.
