On August 6, 2023, Toronto police reported that they apprehended a 16-year-old boy who allegedly pointed a loaded firearm at officers while being pursued in an ongoing firearms investigation. The incident unfolded in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue West area, where members of the Toronto Police Major Crimes Unit (MCU) located the teenager.
As the officers approached the teen, who had just exited an elevator, he reportedly aimed a loaded gun at them. Fortunately, the officers managed to subdue him swiftly before any injuries occurred. This quick action resulted in the arrest of the young suspect, and investigators subsequently seized a loaded handgun, a quantity of oxycodone, and Canadian currency.
The youth, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, now faces multiple charges. These include possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, pointing a firearm, and possession of a schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking, among other charges. Additionally, he was charged with two counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
The circumstances leading to this arrest trace back to a prior incident on July 15, 2023, near the intersection of Driftwood Avenue and Finch Avenue West. During that event, police allege that the boy was in the company of another male when they noticed a police cruiser and began to run away. Officers pursued the pair and reportedly observed one of them discarding a firearm during the chase.
Following the pursuit, officers recovered a loaded firearm and an extended magazine, as well as another loaded extended magazine found in a satchel carried by a subsequently arrested suspect named Shevontae Stewart-Wilson, 21, of Toronto. Stewart-Wilson is facing several weapons-related charges stemming from this incident.
Importantly, during the events of the chase and the arrest of the 16-year-old suspect, two officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators believe that the teen arrested later in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue West area is the other suspect involved in the earlier incident, thus connecting the series of events.
