Man allegedly assaults TTC streetcar riders in downtown Toronto
A man allegedly assaulted TTC streetcar riders in downtown Toronto on Saturday, according to Toronto police.
Officers said the assault took place in the Queen and Victoria streets area.
The man was seen exiting the streetcar and walking southbound on Victoria Street.
Police say three victims have been identified, but officers could not provide an update on injuries.
The suspect is described as a white 35-year-old man with a slim build wearing a black baseball cap, which may be covering a bald head. He was seen sporting black pants and a long black jacket. He was wearing glasses and a backpack, police say.
This news follows a violent streak on public transit in Toronto. Just yesterday, a man was assaulted by a group of youths on board a TTC bus. A day prior, a woman was charged with attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed a stranger multiple times on a TTC streetcar, leaving them with what police are calling life-altering injuries.
Despite these recent events, Toronto Mayor John Tory insists the TTC is safe.
“We do have to remind ourselves that the TTC transports millions of people every day, every single day of the week. And they do it safely,” Tory said while at an event on Saturday afternoon.
The mayor said these recent spurts of violence are not exclusive to Toronto, but rather, span across North American cities.
“I think it could be some of the after effects of the pandemic, it could be other things that have to do with some of the real issues we face with mental health, “Tory said.
“It's part of a certain, I think very anxious period, we're going through on the part of a lot of people. Perhaps it's the economic conditions, perhaps the aftermath of the pandemic. People are anxious and they're acting out in ways that are clearly not acceptable.”
In an effort to increase safety on public transit in Toronto, the TTC is adding 80 new staff members across the system.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.