Police allege 14 suspects swarmed, assaulted victims
Rick Madonik/torstar news service
Some residents were surprised to hear of the arrests of a young gang that has been swarming and robbing people in the past weeks in west-end parks, saying they felt safe in the area.
After a month-long spree of robberies by a wolf-pack-like gang who swarmed victims in the Bloor and Christie area, police have laid 198 charges against 14 teens.
The 27 victims, ranging in age from 16 to 50, were beaten, bruised and in some cases had bones broken in 15 separate robberies. Most of the crimes occurred in parks, including Christie Pits Park in the west end.
Police said the street gang was new and wasn’t previously known to them. However, some of the members were known to officers.
“These were crimes of opportunity committed against men and women regardless of their age,” said Det. Colin Greenaway of 13 Division. “These were cowardly acts of violence performed in a wolf-pack style of overpowering helpless, unsuspecting citizens of Toronto.”
Fourteen teens who police say called themselves “Grown Men Business,” using the slang term “Bidness,” face 198 robbery-related charges in the swarming of 27 people from mid-July to mid-August.
However, other attacks took place on the subway system, on streets and in bank vestibules.
Police in 14 Division, where most of the crimes occurred, say they have never processed as many charges at one time for such a young group. Police say the youths attacked in numbers ranging from four to a dozen. The alleged gang members approached the victims on foot, assaulting them and taking valuables, including laptops, cellphones and other electronics.
