Toronto rapper wanted for first-degree murder arrested in Los Angeles
Toronto police say that a local rapper wanted on a first-degree murder charge in connection with a deadly shooting earlier this year has been arrested by police in Los Angeles.
In a news release, police said that 22-year-old Hassan Ali, also known as Top5, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday on a Provisional American Arrest Warrant.
Ali’s arrest comes eight months after Hashim Omar Hashi was gunned down while he was waiting to enter the parking garage of his building at 40 Falstaff Avenue near Jane Street on January 31.
At that time, police said that a suspect approached the passenger side of Hashi's vehicle and fired numerous shots at him.
Hashi, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a student and had no connections to the criminal world, according to investigators.
Two suspects were taken into custody in the weeks that followed, including Ali.
Initially charged with accessory after the fact to murder and failing to comply with probation, Ali was released on bail despite warning signs that he had previously been accused of ignoring orders from the justice system, court documents show. Emmanuel Missah, 24, was charged with accessory after the fact to murder and failing to comply with recognizance.
Ali's charges were later upgraded to first-degree murder and three counts of fail to comply with recognizance on May 20 in connection with the incident but police were unable to locate him.
The Toronto-area rap artist would later be seen connecting with fans on social media, claiming his innocence and addressing fan questions about why he hadn’t turned himself in.
"Isn't Top5 on the run for a body?" one asked during an Instagram live in June.
"The only run I know is the treadmill," Ali responded with a chuckle "I didn't do sh*t. Save that for God."
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
With files from Jon Woodward and CP24’s Bryann Aguilar
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.