A man is facing charges after smashing a window of a Toronto bakery offering U.S. lottery tickets to customers.
The man was witnessed by dozens of shoppers lined up around the block outside World Class Bakers on Wednesday.
The midtown bakery, located at 690 St. Clair Ave. West, west of Bathurst Street, is giving customers a chance to win US$1.5 billion in the largest jackpot in U.S. history. Those who spent C$20 or more were given a US$2 ticket for the U.S. Powerball lottery.
One man who was outside of the bakery on Wednesday morning started pounding on one of the shop's windows shortly before noon. CTV Toronto photojournalist Keith Hanley saw the man pick up a wooden sandwich board, so Hanley warned the customer on the other side of the glass to move. The man then threw the board through the window, sending shards of glass into the street and the bakery.
"I was just trying to get warm and I was sitting by the window because the sun was out," the woman said.
"Keith said, 'Get out!'"
No one was injured, and the man was taken into police custody about a block away from the bakery.
"Not sure why he smashed the window," Toronto police said in a message posted to Twitter.
Officers said he has been charged with assault, mischief and resisting arrest.
On Tuesday, the bakery had 500 tickets to give away, but ran out by approximately 2:30 p.m. Because of the promotion's success, the bakery's manager decided to drive across the border again Tuesday evening, this time coming back with 1,000 tickets.
Dozens of customers lined up outside the bakery before it opened, with a lineup stretching from the door down the street and around the corner. Some people told CTV Toronto they'd arrived as early as 3 a.m. The bakery ran out of tickets at approximately 2 p.m.
"These croissants or whatever they sell better be dynamite," one customer told CTV Toronto's Janice Golding.
"This is a $1.5 billion cake, and here's the ticket to prove it," another said after leaving the store.
Another customer admitted she'd called in sick to wait in the line.
Non-U.S. citizens are legally allowed to purchase the tickets, and may actually be able to pocket more money than those living in the U.S. due to tax laws, an American lottery expert told CTV's Canada AM earlier this week.
The bakery is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tickets were also given away to customers at Tortilla Flats on Queen Street West and the Fashion Jewellery Outlet in Woodbridge.
