Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner releases statement about 'scary' carjacking in Toronto
Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner is speaking for the first time since he was robbed of his Range Rover at gunpoint outside of a Toronto movie theatre earlier this week.
In a statement released on Twitter, Marner called the incident “scary” and thanked the Toronto community for the “unbelievable” support following the carjacking on Monday.
“To all the fans, my friends and teammates, and the entire Maple Leafs organization – thank you for all your positive messages over the last few days,” Marner said in the tweet released on Wednesday.
“It was a scary situation to be in, but we’re safe and doing well. Thank you all – your support has meant the world to us.”
His statement follows what police have called a “crime of opportunity,” which included three suspects, two armed with guns and another with a knife, approaching and then taking off with Marner’s car in the area of the Cineplex Cinemas Queensway.
The events took place in the area of Islington Avenue and the Queensway on Monday around 7:45 p.m.
Toronto police say this was one of 60 carjackings they have responded to so far this year, compared to the 59 total carjackings that were reported in 2021.
'Made My Day'
After the carjacking, Marner didn’t provide any media interviews, but he did stop to speak to a self-proclaimed “huge” Leafs fan.
Dylan Atack stood outside of the team’s Etobicoke practice facility on Tuesday hoping to catch a glimpse of a few players.
First, he saw William Nylander, then John Tavares.
“To my surprise, Marner stopped,” Atack told CTV News Toronto.
Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner smiles beside fan Dylan Atack outside of the team's training facility in Etobicoke on Tuesday, May 18, 2022 (Supplied).
“He really made my day. Taking a few minutes out of his day to stop for me after what happened on Monday night.”
As Marner signed a poster for the fan, Atack asked him how he was doing. “He said he’s had better days but he looked to be in good spirits,” Atack said.
“After the bad week he has had, positivity needs to come out of it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.