Toronto police launch new tow truck task force to address spike in shootings

Three tow-truck related shootings in Toronto last week have pushed police to launch a new task force aimed at addressing what investigators are calling a “troubling” increase in gun violence within the industry.

Police say that 70 per cent of all reported shootings so far in 2025 are linked to a “small group of bad actors” towing in the city.

Police have attributed the violence, which also includes incidents of arson, to an ongoing turf war in the sector.

Last week, at least three tow truck-related shootings were reported in Scarborough, sending a total of four people to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police haven’t yet determined if the incidents are connected, and no suspect descriptions have been released.

On Monday, Toronto police announced the launch of “Project Dodger” to address the rash of violence.

“Project Dodger's primary goal is to improve safety for tow truck operators and the public. To achieve this, both plainclothes and uniformed officers will be deployed in critical areas across the city to deter violence and ensure compliance with industry regulations,” police said in a news release.

Territorial disputes within Toronto’s tow truck industry have been a problem for the city for years now and in 2024 police launched a separate initiative dubbed “Project Beacon” in an attempt to reign in violence.

According to police, there were 63 shootings last year tied to the tow truck industry, totalling nearly 15 per cent of all firearm discharges. There were 184 charges laid as a result of “Project Beacon. Six individuals were identified as suspects in connection with a homicide and 13 separate shootings.

In announcing those arrests, police said at least three of the suspects were under the age of 18 and that youths were being specifically targeted to commit tow truck-related crimes in the city, noting that the consequences faced by them would be “significantly different” if they were adults.

At a provincial level, the Ontario government passed legislation in 2021 to put towing under its watch after groups raised concerns about patchwork regulation and the infiltration of organized crime into parts of the industry.

As of last summer, tow truck drivers in Ontario need a provincial certificate to operate.

It’s unclear where exactly in the city the officers involved in “Project Dodger” will be deployed to.