TORONTO – Police say the death of a young man swarmed by about 25 attackers in east-end Toronto was a “senseless occurrence” that never should have happened.
Kristian Thanapalan died of a blunt force injury to his head after police say he was beaten to death by a group armed with baseball and cricket bats early Saturday.
Toronto police Det.-Sgt. Savas Kyriacou says the 23-year-old and his friends were swarmed after they finished playing a game of volleyball in a park late at night.
Kyriacou says as they left a group of about eight males approached them from one direction, and a group of 10 to 15 others came from another direction.
Thanapalan and his friends were surrounded, and some managed to escape, but emergency crews later found him beaten, lying on a nearby cul de sac.
Kyriacou says police are appealing to members of the Tamil-Canadian community to “do the right thing” and urged anyone with information to come forward.
“Kristian was a nice young man,” Kyriacou said. “He had everything to live for. He has a nice loving family.”
“This type of senseless occurrence should never have happened.”
