Toronto woman 'livid' after police allegedly told her to 'call the mayor' during home invasion attempt
A Toronto woman says she is “livid” after an officer with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) allegedly told her to “call the mayor” while an intruder attempted to break into her home Monday night.
Sahar Barghian detailed the incident in a video uploaded to TikTok on Dec. 6. In the video, she says a stranger attempted to break into her home on the evening prior.
“Last night, we had an incident where someone tried to break into our home,” Barghian said. She said someone could be seen through a home security system waiting outside her home for an hour and a half "for someone to open the gates."
A screengrab of the Barghian's home security system on Dec. 5 (Handout by Barghian)
"The intruder used an obvious tactic -- he told my father he knew someone who lived here while giving signs for his team to come and attack," Barghian explained. "My father immediately felt unsettled and told [the intruder] he would call the cops."
She said, after initially calling the police, officers informed her they were on their way. But, after 40 mins of waiting, she said the police hadn’t arrived.
“I decided to call them again,” she said.
During the second call, Barghian said an officer allegedly cited staffing shortages as the reason for the delay.
“This officer, he told me to call the mayor, because [they were] low on staff,” she said in the video. “That it was the mayor’s fault they [couldn’t] accommodate us.”
She also said she was informed during a third phone call, placed hours after the initial incident, that because no one in her home had been injured, the report had not been listed as “a priority.”
“I have to go outside of my house, where the intruder is [and] I have to let him stab [...] me [...] in order for the police to come?” she asked.
Twenty-four hours after the incident, Barghian said police had still not attended her home. In response, she says she visited a police station in person on Tuesday, where she says she was again told that staffing shortages were the reason police did not attend her home.
“I’m livid, because it’s 24 hours after the incident, and did the cops even try to make an attempt to come? No,” she said.
She says it wasn't until mid-Tuesday that police called her to obtain a suspect description.
On Wednesday, Toronto Traffic Services responded to Barghian’s video with a TikTok of its own.
In the video, Const. Sean Shapiro said the Toronto Police Service (TPS) had seen Barghian’s video and is “very concerned,” urging her to reach out and provide further details to the force.
“Since I have you here, I just want to let you know that we encourage anyone who is dissatisfied with the conduct of the Toronto Police Service to reach out to a supervisor to discuss those concerns,” Shapiro said in the video.
When reached for comment, Stephanie Sayer, spokesperson for TPS, told CTV News Toronto police had seen the video and reiterated their concern.
“We’re very concerned and have reached out to discuss this with her,” Sayer said. “We don’t have anything further to add at this time.”
When reached for comment, Blue Knox, a spokesperson for the mayor's office told CTV News Toronto that "when people call the police – whether it is 911 or a non-emergency number – the only thing they should receive is help." At the same time, Knox acknowledged that sometimes "[police] can fall short and we know [they] take that very seriously."
"Mayor Tory has repeatedly supported reasonable increases to the Toronto Police Services budget to help keep residents safe," Knox said. "Over the years, when many, including some City Councillors, have called for the police budget to be slashed or defunded, Mayor Tory has worked to make sure the police are funded and will continue to do so, so that they can provide the kind of timely professional response they do the vast majority of the time."
Meanwhile, Barghian says she and her family haven't been able to sleep since the incident.
"It's just nerve-racking to think that someone's outside your home, just looking — you don't know what's next," she said.
In July, a Winnipeg woman who called 911 amid a home invasion was told to confront her attacker - a directive she says was "inappropriate and dangerous."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.