Three teen suspects charged after woman slashed in the face at Spadina Station

A Toronto police vehicle is shown parked on Yonge Street as rain falls in downtown Toronto on Tuesday Jan. 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives

Police have made three arrests after a woman was slashed in the face at Spadina Station over the weekend.

In a news release, police said officers responded to a call for a suspicious incident in a separate investigation near Long Branch Avenue and Lake Promenade in Etobicoke on Monday.

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At that time, police said, an officer was investigating a boy in the stairwell of a residential building. The boy attempted to flee, police said, and alerted another boy and girl.

Then, one of the boys swung a machete at the officer, according to police. 

Const. Alex Li has confirmed the Special Investigations Unit has invoked its mandate following the encounter. In an update, the SIU said one of the suspects sustained serious injuries following the interaction with the officer. He was later transported to hospital.

All three young people were arrested and are believed to be the suspects involved in the incident at Spadina Station.

In that incident, police said, a woman was involved in a verbal dispute with three individuals who were not known to her on Sunday evening. One of the suspects allegedly spat in the woman’s face and repeatedly pushed her before he brandished a knife and slashed her in the face.

The woman suffered facial injuries following the attack and all three suspects fled the scene, police said.

Investigators released surveillance images of one of the suspects involved on Monday morning.

As a result of their investigation, a 16-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy, and a 15-year-old girl are each individually charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, assault of a peace officer while carrying a weapon, two counts of assault, and two counts of fail to comply with undertaking, among other offences.

“Due to excellent police work and our investigators assisting, we were able to make three arrests to three individuals,” Li told CP24 on Tuesday.

“Combined, they face a total of 25 charges,” Li said, addig that investigators are still looking to speak with any witnesses in either incident.

All three suspects were scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom earlier Tuesday.

None can be named under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Sunday’s random attack on TTC property is one in a long line of violent incidents to take place on the transit system in the last several months.

The rash of assaults pushed the TTC, in concert with Toronto Police and the City, to increase the visibility of police officers, special constables, and uniformed employees on the system late last month.