Toronto police are advising people in the city for New Year's Eve to be on alert in the wake of several violent, seemingly random street robberies in less than two weeks.
Police issued the warning on Thursday, the day after a Yonge Street robbery that turned deadly.
Zaher "Zack" Noureddine, 25, died in hospital on Wednesday, after he was attacked on Yonge near Eglinton Avenue shortly after midnight. Police are searching for three male suspects in connection with the case.
Officers said, approximately 30 minutes before the fatal assault, another person was violently robbed while walking in the area of Bayview and Hillsdale Avenues. Officers believe the two cases may be linked.
On Dec. 15, two other Toronto residents were robbed during violent assaults in the downtown area. One man, 39-year-old cancer researcher Mark Ernsting, died of injuries received in the attack near Yonge and Gerrard Streets.
The other was a 65-year-old woman suffered stab wounds when she was attacked by three people in the Yonge Street and Summerhill Avenue area.
Three people have been charged in connection with the cases.
Toronto police said they still believe the city is safe, but advised those walking downtown to be on alert as a precaution.
"Always be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts," Toronto Police Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook told CTV Toronto on Thursday.
"Be with a friend if you can and if you're going to be out late drinking, don't do it by yourself."
