A 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man have been charged in a series of violent, unprovoked attacks targeting vulnerable members of the city, including one that left a 62-year-old man dead, Toronto police said.
All of the attacks occurred over a three-and-a-half hour period on the morning of Aug. 31 in Toronto’s downtown core. None of the victims knew the suspects prior to the assault, police added, describing all of the attacks as “unprovoked.”
“All of these attacks were extremely violent and they targeted vulnerable members of our city,” Det.- Sgt. Stacey McCabe said at a news conference on Monday, adding that three of the five victims were experiencing homelessness at the time they were assaulted.
McCabe could not say why unhoused people were targeted but called the situation “concerning.”
The first assault, according to investigators, occurred at around 5:45 a.m. in the area of Yonge Street and Dundas Street West.
Police said a male victim was sitting on a bench when he was approached and violently attacked by a suspect who was armed with a hammer.
The victim managed to escape and flee the area, suffering “unknown injuries,” police added.
The second assault occurred minutes later, at 5:52 a.m., in the same area.
Police said a 70-year-old man was violently assaulted with a weapon. The suspects fled, police said, after the victim fell to the ground. The 70-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
As the suspects continued west on foot, they arrived at Nathan Phillips Square at around 6:08 a.m.
“It is here that they encountered a 62-year-old underhoused male sleeping on a bench. Unprovoked they began violently beating this male,” McCabe told reporters.
“Again, one of them (the suspects) was armed with a hammer.”
The man suffered serious injuries that ultimately led to his death days later on Sept. 4, police said.
Following the attack on the 62-year-old man, police said the suspects then headed to Gerrard and Yonge streets at around 6:25 a.m., where they robbed a 63-year-old man. According to investigators, the suspects grabbed the victim’s phone and when the victim tried to retrieve the device, he was pushed to the ground. The suspects fled the area and the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The final incident occurred near College and Yonge streets at around 8:07 a.m. Police said the suspects approached a male in the area and asked to used his phone. When he refused, police said, the suspects slapped the phone out of his hand and threw an object at him.
“Thanks to the keen eye of two young officers from 52 Division, the accused were arrested shortly after this final attack,” McCabe said.
Isaiah Byers, 20, of Toronto, and a 12-year-old boy, who cannot be identified as per the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, have each been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of robbery, two counts of assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault.
Police said that the two suspects were both on release orders at the time of their arrest.
Investigators noted that because police have not yet been able to notify the deceased’s next-of-kin, they are not releasing the victim’s identity.
McCabe said police believe there may be more people who were approached by the suspects and are urging anyone who interacted with the suspects on the morning of the assaults to reach out to investigators.
When asked about recent incidents where young people have been charged in violent crimes in the GTA, Deputy Chief Robert Johnson called the situation “unbelievable.”
Last week, a 16-year-old boy was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of eight-year-old JahVai Roy, who was shot while sleeping in his bed in North York last month.
Earlier this month, a 12-year-old boy was charged with attempted murder after a man was shot while sitting in a vehicle in his driveway in Markham back in August.
“This is really a call to action with all our community partners to make sure we find a way to intervene when young people are involved with these type of horrendous crimes,” Johnson said.
“We are obviously concerned with this trend.”