Police have laid 20 criminal charges, including arson and attempted murder, after a home was firebombed and left with bullet holes in a pair of attacks last month.
Toronto police allege that the late-night attacks, which occurred while two children were in the home, stem from arguments dealing with a "legitimate" business.
At some point, the homeowner and his family were threatened "in attempts to extort money," investigators allege.
Police said that just before midnight on Friday, Dec. 3, a suspect went to the west-end home and fired two bullets into the front door with a silver handgun.
Three more bullets were shot into the homeowner's car, which was parked on the driveway out front. The handgun was then left on the adjacent neighbour's driveway, police said.
During the early morning hours of Boxing Day, another attack occurred, this time leaving the home, located near Oakwood Avenue and Vaughan Road, destroyed by fire.
During the latter attack, police allege that the accused showed up at the home with a pair of men, and the group threw four Molotov cocktails into the home.
As with the previous attack, the homeowner's wife and two children were inside at the time. They escaped without injury.
Atanas Markov, 26, faces 20 charges, including:
- Three counts of threatening death
- Extortion
- Four counts of attempted murder
- Attempted arson with a disregard for life
Markov will appear in court on Jan. 21.
