'Yo, someone shot my truck!': Videos show Toronto tow trucks fired at from moving vehicles
Videos of two of the several shootings in the Toronto area over the weekend involving tow trucks show bullets fired from moving vehicles and hitting trucks.
In one case, surveillance videos taken on Saturday show a pickup truck with a tow company’s decals slow to a stop in the middle of the intersection of Markham Road and Munham Gate, the driver climbing out, wounded.
And in another case, a dash cam video shows a window roll down from a passing black Honda Civic, and several shots can be heard as the driver brakes and radios for help.
“Yo, someone shot my truck,” the driver can be heard saying on the video.
A still from the dashcam footage can be seen above.
It’s the latest flare-up in a turf war in an industry riven with organized crime, as players fight over lucrative tow fees as well as the repair and storage charges that can add up to big profits.
The attack captured on dashcam video was at Markham Road, just south of the 401 Highway at 8pm on Saturday. No one was injured there – but it was a prelude to a violent weekend.
Just two hours later, police were called to the area of Finch Avenue East and Markham road for a similar incident.
Then on Sunday around 5pm, police say they found a man with a gunshot wound. The video suggests that is the driver of the pickup truck. Paramedics said they transported one patient to a local hospital with minor injuries.
The suspect fled in a vehicle, police said in a post on X. Police do not have a description available for this individual at this time. Witnesses who CTV news spoke to said they heard around three gunshots.
Early Monday morning, Durham Regional Police said they were investigating a fire at a tow yard on Altona Road and Kingston Road as arson.
A major figure in one prosecution of tow companies, Alexander Vinogradsky, was shot dead in March.
The Toronto Police Service said in a statement, “Police are investigating incidents of threatening behaviour and firearms, including the incidents that took place this weekend.”
“Members of the public have the right to decide who tows their vehicle and where it is towed. If possible, drivers should request a destination of their own choosing to the tow operator. Anyone with concerns about illegally operating tow trucks can report them to the City of Toronto via 311. If the driver has committed a criminal offence this should be reported to police, and if it’s an emergency, should contact 911. Toronto Police continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt these groups,” the statement said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Charges against world's top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election
Here is how three potential outcomes from the jury room ─ a guilty verdict, an acquittal or a hung jury ─ could affect the presidential campaign.
'Are you driving?' U.S. man with suspended licence shows up on court Zoom call while behind the wheel
A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while driving.
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.