https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/it...cle_13553528-a0b7-11ef-8aaa-1344b60920ee.html
‘It sounded like war’: 23 arrested, 16 firearms seized after gunfight at Toronto recording studio
Police were called to Queen Street West and Sudbury Street around 11:20 p.m. Monday after an exchange of up to 100 shots between two groups.
Nov. 12, 2024
By Estella RenStaff Reporter, Raju MudharStaff Reporter, and Calvi LeonStaff Reporter
It was supposed to be a routine bail check. Instead, plainclothes officers outside a Toronto recording studio Monday night found themselves in the middle of a gunfight — an exchange of up to 100 shots — between two rival groups.
The barrage of gunfire in the West Queen West neighbourhood created a scene of chaos, forcing a worker from a local grocery store to run for cover while both the store and an unmarked police vehicle were riddled with bullet holes.
Remarkably, no one was hurt.
“It sounded like war,” said resident Alexander Piskopos, who heard the gunfire from his home.
From his balcony, he saw police running with flashlights and heard officers shouting: “Freeze. Stay where you are.”
Toronto police seized more than 16 firearms, including several handguns and two assault-style rifles, and arrested 23 people at the scene. There were no immediate details on charges or the suspects’ names.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue said the shooting had “all of the signs of being a gang-related conflict” but cautioned that the motive was still under investigation.
The gunfire broke out around 11:20 p.m. Monday in the area of Queen Street West and Sudbury Street, just east of Dufferin Street.
Pogue said plainclothes officers were already stationed there for an unrelated investigation when three suspects in a stolen car arrived, exited the vehicle and opened fire at a recording studio on the second floor of a building, where a crowd of people were gathered outside.
Toronto police have arrested 23 people and seized 16 firearms following a shooting late Monday night at a recording studio in the city’s West Queen West neighbourhood.
The shooting quickly escalated into an exchange of gunfire between two groups. As the shooters on both sides tried to flee, police boxed in the stolen vehicle. Officers arrested one of the occupants after a foot chase, but two others managed to escape and remain at large.
Pogue said police arrested several more people inside the studio and others trying to flee. She said officers recovered additional firearms from inside the building, the rooftop and garbage bins in the area.
Bullets had struck an unmarked police vehicle with two officers inside during the shootout, but no one was hurt.
“I want to stress how remarkable it is that in such a volatile and dangerous situation, nobody was injured,” Pogue said.
As of Tuesday morning, police had cordoned off a large section of the building that houses the studio and the neighbouring FreshCo parking lot. Two police cruisers were parked along Queen Street, guarding the front door of the recording studio.
Residents who heard the gunfire the night before wandered the area on the cold morning, trying to understand what happened.
The FreshCo grocery store re-opened around 11 a.m., with some employees cleaning up damage to the store’s windows caused by the gunfire.
One of the workers, Jorge Dasilva, said he arrived for his shift at 6 a.m. on Tuesday but could not get inside because police blocked access to the entrances.
He said a colleague who was working Monday night heard multiple “loud bangs,” just before 11:30 p.m., walked to the front and saw bullets flying into the store.
“He had to duck and hide,” Dasilva said, relaying his colleague’s account.
The building where the shooting happened houses at least three recording studios: CASA Studios, 777 Studios and Diesel Headquarters.
Police have not said which one was the target of the shooting.
At a Toronto Police Services Board meeting Tuesday afternoon, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said he was grateful none of the officers were hurt in the shooting and emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.
The incident highlights the police force’s previous calls for law reform related to shootings in public settings and underscores the dangers faced by officers, Demkiw said.
The officers involved in Monday night’s shooting “acted swiftly and with courage to apprehend the suspects in the shootout,” he said.
‘It sounded like war’: 23 arrested, 16 firearms seized after gunfight at Toronto recording studio
Police were called to Queen Street West and Sudbury Street around 11:20 p.m. Monday after an exchange of up to 100 shots between two groups.
Nov. 12, 2024
By Estella RenStaff Reporter, Raju MudharStaff Reporter, and Calvi LeonStaff Reporter
It was supposed to be a routine bail check. Instead, plainclothes officers outside a Toronto recording studio Monday night found themselves in the middle of a gunfight — an exchange of up to 100 shots — between two rival groups.
The barrage of gunfire in the West Queen West neighbourhood created a scene of chaos, forcing a worker from a local grocery store to run for cover while both the store and an unmarked police vehicle were riddled with bullet holes.
Remarkably, no one was hurt.
“It sounded like war,” said resident Alexander Piskopos, who heard the gunfire from his home.
From his balcony, he saw police running with flashlights and heard officers shouting: “Freeze. Stay where you are.”
Toronto police seized more than 16 firearms, including several handguns and two assault-style rifles, and arrested 23 people at the scene. There were no immediate details on charges or the suspects’ names.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue said the shooting had “all of the signs of being a gang-related conflict” but cautioned that the motive was still under investigation.
The gunfire broke out around 11:20 p.m. Monday in the area of Queen Street West and Sudbury Street, just east of Dufferin Street.
Pogue said plainclothes officers were already stationed there for an unrelated investigation when three suspects in a stolen car arrived, exited the vehicle and opened fire at a recording studio on the second floor of a building, where a crowd of people were gathered outside.
Toronto police have arrested 23 people and seized 16 firearms following a shooting late Monday night at a recording studio in the city’s West Queen West neighbourhood.
The shooting quickly escalated into an exchange of gunfire between two groups. As the shooters on both sides tried to flee, police boxed in the stolen vehicle. Officers arrested one of the occupants after a foot chase, but two others managed to escape and remain at large.
Pogue said police arrested several more people inside the studio and others trying to flee. She said officers recovered additional firearms from inside the building, the rooftop and garbage bins in the area.
Bullets had struck an unmarked police vehicle with two officers inside during the shootout, but no one was hurt.
“I want to stress how remarkable it is that in such a volatile and dangerous situation, nobody was injured,” Pogue said.
As of Tuesday morning, police had cordoned off a large section of the building that houses the studio and the neighbouring FreshCo parking lot. Two police cruisers were parked along Queen Street, guarding the front door of the recording studio.
Residents who heard the gunfire the night before wandered the area on the cold morning, trying to understand what happened.
The FreshCo grocery store re-opened around 11 a.m., with some employees cleaning up damage to the store’s windows caused by the gunfire.
One of the workers, Jorge Dasilva, said he arrived for his shift at 6 a.m. on Tuesday but could not get inside because police blocked access to the entrances.
He said a colleague who was working Monday night heard multiple “loud bangs,” just before 11:30 p.m., walked to the front and saw bullets flying into the store.
“He had to duck and hide,” Dasilva said, relaying his colleague’s account.
The building where the shooting happened houses at least three recording studios: CASA Studios, 777 Studios and Diesel Headquarters.
Police have not said which one was the target of the shooting.
At a Toronto Police Services Board meeting Tuesday afternoon, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said he was grateful none of the officers were hurt in the shooting and emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.
The incident highlights the police force’s previous calls for law reform related to shootings in public settings and underscores the dangers faced by officers, Demkiw said.
The officers involved in Monday night’s shooting “acted swiftly and with courage to apprehend the suspects in the shootout,” he said.
