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.

They allege that the same suspect then 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 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 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. He is scheduled to appear in bail court on Thursday. 

A sketch of Troy Dennis Ledrew from a Nov. 28 bail court appearance. (Alexandra Newbould)

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 shortly after 5 p.m.

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)

Suspect has criminal history

The arrest of Ledrew brought an end to a short-lived crime spree that had alarmed Toronto residents.

Court documents obtained by CTV News Toronto have since revealed that Ledrew had previously faced charges for fraud, robbery, and breach of probation. The most recent charge for breaching probation was filed in May.

“It’s ridiculous. These JPs (Justices of the Peace) and these judges, they have to start keeping people in jail,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said following an unrelated event on Thursday morning.

“Who puts people on bail after shooting up the streets? … We need tough judges and tough JPs when it comes to crime. People are fed up with it.”

The head of Toronto’s police union concurred, adding that his members are “so frustrated” after learning that the person allegedly behind the carjackings and shootings had previous brushes with the law.

“(The accused) has a history of violence. He’s currently on bail, on probation, not surprisingly, also has a firearm prohibition,” said Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association (TPA).

“It’s one of these things again, where our members are so frustrated when we see people involved in violent offenses released from custody time and time again.”

Campbell told CP24 that one of the people whose car was struck by gunfire on Tuesday morning on Highway 401 is a senior police officer. It’s not clear whether he was on duty or off-duty at the time.

“His car was hit with a round. Thank God he’s okay,” Campbell said.

“I’ll continue to talk about it at every opportunity I have. But when we see somebody out on bail for a violent offense, on probation for a violent offense, (allegedly) in possession of an illegal firearm, an illegal firearm with a huge magazine that he’s (allegedly) shooting somebody in the streets of Toronto,” he said.

“Thank God the other person wasn’t hit and our thoughts are with the person that’s in the hospital. But again, hopefully he’s not led out of custody, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was.”

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also weighed in on the carjackings and shooting on Thursday, telling reporters at an unrelated event that she was glad a suspect had been taken into custody.

“This kind of behaviour is just horrific. Everyone should be able to be on the streets safe when they’re driving,” Chow told reporters at City Hall.

“And this man that is shooting at drivers and carjacking, it’s not just at one place. He was really at different locations. So I’m glad (he was arrested) and I really want to appreciate the officers that finally caught him.”

Police say Troy Ledrew has been arrested after multiple attempted carjackings and shootings in Toronto on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (OPP/Tristan Phillips)

The charges against Ledrew have not yet been tested in court.

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

With files from CP24’s Bryann Aguilar