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
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An American soldier was arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, U.S. officials say
An American soldier has been arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, according to U.S. officials. The soldier was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to the United States, but travelled to Russia.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Competition Bureau launches inquiry into Lululemon over 'greenwashing' allegations
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to quash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Bill C-70 proposes to enact a new 'Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act.'