'We are very terrified': Two Markham home invasion victims speak out after attack
Two of the victims that were targeted in a series of violent home invasions in Markham are recounting their ordeal.
“They all had guns and weapons on them, and they just kept saying, ‘where’s the money, where’s the money,’” one of the young men said, speaking to CTV News Toronto.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The two young men live in one of the six Markham houses police say were targeted in a recent series of home invasions.
CTV News Toronto is not revealing their identities because the two victims say they are concerned about their safety.
There were four masked men who broke into their home. On Friday morning, two men were shot, one fatally, in a standoff with police on Eyer Drive near Calvert Road, and another man and woman were apprehended.
Images obtained by CTV News Toronto appear to show a plainclothes officer with their weapon drawn. (CTV News Toronto)
York Regional Police say the incident was linked to the investigation into the spree of home invasions.
The victims say the four men who entered their home divided to conquer.
At first, one of the occupants recounted, the banging at the back door sounded like it was part of the rainforest white noise he uses as a sleep aide.
Then the glass of the sliding door smashed.
Two men came to his room, one armed with a gun and another with a hatchet.
The other victim who spoke to CTV News Toronto said a third man came to his room, taking everything from his shoes to his headphones.
“Everything happened so quick in such a miserable way, we are very terrified,” he said.
A fourth man targeted the other occupants of the house, they said.
The household is now adding extra security, and the pair admit it has taken time to process what happened to them.
“We stay up a lot later and get a little less sleep just to make sure everyone else in the house is safe,” one of them said.
They have been literally picking up the pieces, but—like their glass door—they say the illusion of safety has been broken.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WHO decision on COVID-19 emergency won't affect Canada's response: Tam
The World Health Organization will announce Monday whether it thinks COVID-19 still represents a global health emergency but Canada's top doctor says regardless of what the international body decides, Canada's response to the coronavirus will not change.
Video shows struggle for hammer during Pelosi attack
Video released publicly Friday shows the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi struggling with his assailant for control of a hammer moments before he was struck in the head during a brutal attack in the couple's San Francisco home last year.
Remembering the horrors of the Holocaust 78 years after liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
In an emotional and powerful speech at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Ottawa, a survivor stressed the importance of remembering the millions of victims murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War and underscored the need to stand up against anti-semitism and hate.
Running Room Canada website hit with data breach; some passwords, credit card info accessed
An outside group may have accessed the online personal information of some Running Room customers in Canada over the last several months, the retailer says.
What is going on with Bill C-11, the government's online streaming legislation?
The Liberals have spent years trying to pass online streaming legislation and now the current iteration, known as Bill C-11, is closer than ever to passing. With a potential parliamentary showdown ahead, here's what you need to know about how the contentious Broadcasting Act bill got to this stage.
Zellers rolling out food trucks for Canadians 'craving a taste of nostalgia'
Though you won't be able to sit on the old, cracked pleather benches and take in the thick smell of gravy and fries, while the gentle sound of clanging dishes provides the soundtrack for your lunch, Zellers plans to roll out food trucks for those 'craving a taste of nostalgia.'
MPs prepare for return to Parliament as Ottawa marks one-year anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy'
Members of Parliament are making their way back to Ottawa ahead of resuming sitting on Monday, as the city prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the arrival of 'Freedom Convoy' protesters.
Pamela Anderson defends Tim Allen after flashing allegation
Pamela Anderson is addressing discussion about a story regarding her 'Home Improvement' co-star Tim Allen that is part of her new memoir, 'Love Pamela.'
'We must meet this moment': Trudeau says in speech to Liberal caucus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on his Liberal caucus to meet the moment on Friday, as Canadians deal with the high cost of living, a struggling health-care system and the effects of climate change.
Montreal
-
Holocaust remembrance: Survivor, born in Nazi concentration camp, recounts early years
Angela Orosz is one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust. On Dec. 21, 1944, she was born in a concentration camp. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazis and collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. More than two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population was killed.
-
Anti-feminist blogger who worshipped Polytechnique shooter sentenced to one year
Anti-feminist blogger Jean-Claude Rochefort, 74, has been sentenced to a year in prison for wilfully promoting hatred towards women. Rochefort openly glorified the Polytechnique shooter, who claimed the lives of 14 women in 1989 as part of an anti-feminist attack.
-
A Quebec coroner says Montreal's Champlain Bridge needs anti-suicide barrier
A Quebec coroner says Montreal's Samuel-De Champlain Bridge must have a suicide-prevention barrier installed, after a 38-year-old man jumped to his death from the structure last May.
London
-
'The textbook definition of plagiarism': Educators mobilize to counter essay-writing app ChatGPT
Educators are hoping to write a new chapter in the story of ChatGPT, and it’s one that sees limits on the program’s ability to do school work for students.
-
Kincardine prepares for downtown ‘reconstruction’
In a few months, you won’t be able to drive through Kincardine’s downtown. It will be a several block long construction zone.
-
London police Chief releases statement on death of Tyre Nichols
London police Chief Steve Williams has released a statement condemning any abuse of authority and excessive force after a police-related death in Tennessee earlier this month.
Kitchener
-
Police investigating after body found in Perth County
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shut down a section of a Perth County roadway Friday after they say a passerby discovered a body in the area overnight.
-
Kitchener school warns parents of man allegedly watching, following students
A Kitchener elementary school is responding to reports of a suspicious man who appeared to be watching or following students on two separate occasions.
-
Elmira woman calls her rare condition 'really degrading', prepares for surgery in Arizona
An Elmira woman born with Pectus Excavatum, a condition where her ribcage is caved in, is getting set for a life-changing surgery in May.
Northern Ontario
-
North Bay, Ont., woman was discriminated against when she was fired, tribunal rules
The manager of a Tim Hortons in North Bay was wrong to fire a long-term employee because of her physical limitations, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ruled.
-
Sudbury woman killed when snowmobile goes through ice
The body of a 29-year-old Sudbury nurse was recovered Wednesday night from a lake near Parry Sound after her snowmobile went through the ice, police say.
-
North Bay city councillor wants city to switch to a ward system
Looking ahead to the 2026 municipal election, North Bay city councillor Jamie Lowery wants to change the way municipal politicians are elected.
Ottawa
-
Police increase downtown presence, access to Parliament Hill restricted on anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy' protest
Ottawa police and Bylaw Services are telling residents and visitors they will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to parking, noise and fireworks violations downtown this weekend, on the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy' demonstration.
-
'Inexcusable and deeply troubling:' Ottawa police condemn Tyre Nichols' death as world braces for release of video
As the world awaits the release of a police video showing five officers viciously beating Tyre Nichols, Ottawa police have issued a statement condemning his death.
-
Councillor calls on Canadian Tire Centre to cancel Jordan Peterson event
An Ottawa councillor is calling on the Ottawa Senators and Canadian Tire Centre tocancel controversial psychologist and self-help author Jordan Peterson's book tour stop on Monday night.
Windsor
-
Availability hits record low and prices are up in Windsor rental market: report
A new report shows the rental unit vacancy rate in Windsor has hit a record low and the prices have increased.
-
Windsor, Ont., riverfront home involved in U.S. human smuggling case tracked by federal authorities
A multi-million dollar Windsor, Ont., home is at the centre of a human smuggling investigation, according to federal authorities in the U.S.
-
Leamington greenhouse future unclear as Lakeside Produce files for bankruptcy
Lakeside Produce Inc., which operates a largescale commercial greenhouse in Leamington employing hundreds of people, has filed for bankruptcy.
Barrie
-
-
Casino in Wasaga Beach celebrates grand opening
Playtime Casino Wasaga Beach celebrated its grand opening Friday.
-
School bus tips into deep ditch
A school bus tipped into a ditch on Centreville Creek Road in Caledon Friday morning.
Atlantic
-
Yarmouth man found guilty of second-degree murder in death of Colton Cook
A jury has delivered a guilty verdict in the 2020 murder of a man from the Yarmouth, N.S., area.
-
Moncton fire department gives update on woman, children sent to hospital
With three structure fires in three days, it's been a busy week for the Moncton Fire Department.
-
As faculty strikes, N.S. Premier Tim Houston announces medical school for Cape Breton University
The Nova Scotia government will help open a medical school at Cape Breton University, the same post-secondary institution that saw faculty go on strike Friday, by fall 2025.
Calgary
-
25-30 vehicles involved in QE11 Highway crash near Carstairs: Alberta RCMP
The crash happened in the area of Highway 2 and Highway 581 just before 11:30 a.m.
-
Multiple crashes on Calgary roads as weather takes a turn
Upward of five centimetres of snow fell in Calgary early Friday morning and officials said conditions were good, but the situation deteriorated later on Friday, leading to plenty of crashes and road closures.
-
Chinook Blast, High Performance Rodeo: What's On in Calgary, Jan. 27-29
The High Performance Rodeo is in full throttle as Chinook Blast kicks off in a blizzard
Winnipeg
-
More schools closed after Manitoba middle school receives another threatening voicemail
Several schools in southeast Manitoba were closed Friday after a round of threatening voicemails came in over the last week.
-
'An opportunity': Manitoba finance minister quits for federal run
Manitoba's finance minister is stepping down to run for a seat in the House of Commons.
-
Blast of Arctic air triggers extreme cold warnings throughout Manitoba
A flurry of extreme cold warnings have been issued for sprawling portions of Manitoba.
Vancouver
-
Sexual assault charges against 3 UBC Thunderbirds football players stayed
Charges that were laid against three former University of British Columbia football players over an alleged sexual assault in Vancouver more than four years ago have been stayed.
-
Bones found near Kamloops hiking trail identified as missing Kelowna man, police say
Mounties in Kamloops say the bones discovered along a hiking trail near the Trans Canada Highway last week have been identified as belonging to a Kelowna man who went missing in November.
-
BC SPCA seizes 129 cattle found on property with 'numerous' dead cows
The BC SPCA is recommending animal cruelty charges after seizing 129 cows from a property in the south Similkameen Valley, where "numerous carcasses of dead cows" were also found.
Edmonton
-
Alberta Justice spokespeople deliver duelling statements on prosecutor email review
An Alberta government email review of whether Premier Danielle Smith’s office interfered with Crown prosecutors has taken a confusing turn, with duelling statements from two spokespeople on what was investigated.
-
$50K awarded to innovators with ideas about how to stop catalytic converter thefts
An Edmonton woman and her daughter whose catalytic converter was stolen in 2022 have won $25,000 for a product police believe will deter thieves from stealing the automotive part.
-
2 charged in north Edmonton death
A man and a woman were charged after a 41-year-old man died earlier this month. Adam Garrant died in hospital after he was assaulted in a home in the area of 172 Avenue and 102 Street on Jan. 12.