Police release new details following rash of carjackings and shootings in Toronto's east end

Toronto police have released new details about a series of attempted carjackings and shootings that left one person seriously injured in Toronto’s east end on Wednesday night.

In a news release, police said that they are investigating a total of six carjackings and attempted carjackings that occurred within minutes of one another and are believed to be linked to the same suspect.

The first incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. near Dundas Street East and River Street. Police said that the suspect was walking in the roadway armed with a gun when he approached a vehicle that was stopped at a red light and tried to open the door. The suspect then allegedly fired his weapon, striking and seriously injuring the driver.

Police say that the same suspect then approached another vehicle on the road and tried opening the door. He also allegedly fired his gun but “narrowly missed” striking the driver, they say.

The suspect then allegedly approached two more vehicles and once again unsuccessfully tried opening the doors.

Investigators say that it wasn`t until the fifth vehicle that the suspect was able to get the driver to exit by pointing his firearm at them.

The suspect drove away from the area in that vehicle, police said.

Toronto police are on the scene of a carjacking and shooting in the east end on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.

A short time later, he pulled into a parking lot in the Studio District, near Lake Shore Boulevard East and Carlaw Avenue.

Police said the suspect exited his vehicle, took out a handgun, and approached another vehicle and demanded that the driver hand over the keys.

Several officers quickly rushed to that area and intercepted the suspect, who then abandoned the vehicle and started running away. He was found a short distance away and arrested, they said.

Police said that a loaded handgun was also found at the scene.

Troy Dennis Ledrew, 29, of no fixed address, is now facing a total of 27 charges, including two counts of attempted murder, robbery with a firearm, theft of motor vehicle involving violence, and aggravated assault. The accused has also been charged with failing to comply with probation and undertaking.

“This remains an active and complex investigation, and we are still working to establish a complete timeline,” Toronto police Duty Insp. Steve Campoli said from the scene on Wednesday evening.

“However, what is critical to know is this: the suspect is in custody, and there is no further threat to public safety.”

Ledrew was scheduled to appear in bail court on Thursday morning.

Police say further investigation has found that he was wanted by the OPP for a similar carjacking and shooting on Highway 401 in Mississauga on Tuesday morning. That incident happened in the eastbound lanes near Dixie Road.

Provincial police said more than 10 drivers reported that their vehicles had been hit by gunshots just after 5 p.m.

In addition to shooting at passing vehicles, Ledrew also allegedly stole a vehicle from a motorist on the highway to flee. It was later found abandoned in Etobicoke. 

Peel and Toronto police are at a gas station in Etobicoke where a man was found shot on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (CTV Toronto)

“We’re extremely grateful for our partners with the Toronto Police Service and their role in apprehending our accused,” OPP Det. Insp. Sean Chatland said Wednesday night following Ledrew’s arrest.

He called the incidents incredibly concerning.

“We’ve been working this case diligently for well over 24 hours, and I can simply say that we haven’t even been able to establish a motive of any kind at this point,” Chatland said.

Police continue to investigate and are asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

With files from CP24’s Bryann Aguilar