Video obtained by CTV News Toronto shows a group of people assaulting each other using what appears to be baseball bats near the border of Peel and Halton regions.
Halton Regional Police said officers were called to the area of Winston Churchill Boulevard and Steeles Avenue shortly after midnight on Wednesday for reports of a “violent altercation.”
According to police, it appears multiple suspect vehicles surrounded a pickup truck with three male occupants inside. Police said while stopped at a light, an undisclosed number of suspects got out of their cars and attacked the three men in the truck with baseball bats.
Two men were left seriously injured after the incident.
A witness, who was driving near the intersection at the time of the incident, reported that he saw a number of people get out of their cars with bats and metal sticks.
“They were just hitting each other, hitting the cars back and forth,” Matthew Amini told CTV News Toronto. “You could just hear the metal hitting against, and denting and smashing up, the windows.”
Amini recorded the incident on his phone. In the video, a group of people are seen holding long objects that could be baseball bats. They are seen standing on an island in the middle of the road next to a white vehicle.
After a few seconds, the video shows another group of people getting out of the white vehicle. They are also holding long, thin objects.
The two groups of people then begin hitting each other and running into the intersection, blocking cars from passing by.
“There were about 10 or 15 guys running towards the scene with more bats and sticks and that’s when I knew it was time for me to get out of there,” Amini said.
Speaking to reporters at the scene Wednesday, Sgt. Duane Bilton said the occupants of the pickup truck tried to make their own way to hospital but were pulled over down the road during a traffic stop.
Two of the victims sustained serious head injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment. The third man suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization, police confirmed.
Peel Paramedics told CP24 Wednesday morning that one of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a trauma centre.
The victims range in age of 26 to 30 and are all residents of the Brampton area.
In a news release issued Wednesday, police said they believe the incident was a “targeted attack” and the suspects and victims knew each other.
“This is not a random incident and there is no threat to public safety,” police said in a written statement.
Bilton said preliminary reports indicate that the victims may have been attacked over a debt.
He noted that police do not believe that the incident is gang-related.
The assault is still under investigation and no arrests have been made.
Police were also unable to provide any descriptions of possible suspects.
Officers managed to locate baseball bats at the scene and members of Halton Regional Police’s K9 unit were out searching for additional evidence on Wednesday morning.
Bilton said officers are working to secure video surveillance footage from the surrounding area.
He encouraged anyone who witnessed the assault to contact police immediately.
