Police seek eight suspects in violent protest outside 14 Division following clearing of homeless encampment
Police have arrested three people in connection with a violent protest that took place outside 14 Division following the clearing of a homeless encampment earlier this summer.
On the morning of July 21 police officers and city crews attended the encampment at Lamport Stadium near King and Dufferin streets to enforce an earlier trespassing notice.
But they were met by a crowd of protesters who linked arms around several makeshift structures and refused to move aside.
Clashes eventually broke out between police and some of the protesters, leading to the arrest of more than two dozen people.
A few hours later a large crowd of protesters then gathered outside nearby 14 Division to demand the release of those individuals.
That protest started out peacefully but eventually grew hostile as well.
Several arrests were made at the time and on Thursday police confirmed that another three people have since been taken into custody, including two who are charged with assault with a weapon.
Encampment supporters gather outside Toronto Police's 14 Division to demand the release of colleagues who were detained as police and city workers cleared the Lamport Stadium Park homeless encampment in Toronto on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Police have also released images of eight additional suspects who remain outstanding.
To see the images follow this link.
Police say that the outstanding suspects are wanted for a variety of offences, including possessing a dangerous weapon, assault with a weapon, assault and obstruction.
“Everyone has the right to peacefully and lawfully protest and our officers monitored the crowd and made active attempts to engage with them to keep the peace. Unfortunately, the crowd grew larger through the hours and more hostile and our officers were both assaulted and obstructed in the lawful execution of their duties,” Supt. Domenic Sinopoli said in a video appeal posted to YouTube. “Let me be clear: throwing projectiles at police officers, such as soup cans, or obstructing them is unacceptable, is a crime and will not be tolerated.”
Demonstrators gather outside mayor's condo
Several demonstrations grew violent this summer as police cleared out encampments across the city.
The news release announcing the latest arrests came hours after a group of homeless individuals and their supporters held a demonstration outside Mayor John Tory’s condo to call for charges to be dropped against the more than 50 people that were arrested or ticketed during this summer’s encampment clear-outs.
In a statement earlier in the day, Tory’s spokesperson Lawvin Hadisi criticized the demonstrators for gathering outside Tory’s home, calling it “political theatre.”
“This is definitely not the best way to engage in any serious dialogue,” she said. “Protesting outside someone's private home won't help get affordable housing built.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
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.