14 new arrests made in wake of brazen Queen West shootout
Several bullets struck unmarked police vehicle with officers inside during November 2024 incident
An additional 14 people have been arrested and 105 charges laid in connection with a downtown shootout between two groups from last year where plainclothes cops were caught in the crossfire, Toronto police say.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Supt. Paul MacIntyre called the incident, which happened near Queen Street W. and Sudbury Street on the night of Nov. 11, a "shocking gunfight.
"That incident was an audacious, reckless, dangerous exchange of gunfire that occurred in downtown Toronto," he said. "It is nothing short of a miracle that no one was injured or killed, including innocent civilians or our police officers."
The chaos unfolded around 11:20 p.m. that night, investigators said in a news release. Plainclothes officers were in the area conducting an investigation when three people arrived in a stolen vehicle, got out, and started firing "numerous rounds" at the back of 1196 Queen St. W., which was being used as a recording studio.
People from inside the building — who police say were celebrating as part of a "packed birthday party" — then returned fire out the back door, leaving the original three alleged assailants to take cover behind an unmarked cop car. Two officers were inside that car, police say, and it was hit by gunfire several times.
The original suspects attempted to flee, but their stolen vehicle was then hit by another unmarked police car, leaving them to run off, according to the news release. One of those people was caught, but two others got away.
Video captures gunfire
At Thursday's news conference, police showed a combination of social media and security camera video that showed people brandishing guns from inside the studio before firing out the door.
Insp. Paul Krawczyk denounced the footage from that night of people dancing around with guns without "a care in the world."
"This was an egregious act in the city," he said. "What you'll see in this video is not just illegal, it's brazen, guns treated like toys and lives treated as afterthoughts."
In the wake of the incident, people also ran from the recording studio, police say, tossing firearms in garbage cans and other areas as they left. A search of the area led officers to several guns that had been abandoned by the initial shooters.
Police say some of the weapons had been modified to be capable of fully automatic fire. Krawczyk said at the news conference that all of the handguns seized were illegal and have been traced back to the U.S.
Incident linked to gang dispute, police say
This was a conflict between two rival gangs, Krawczyk said, though he declined to name them.
"I'm not up here to give them any notoriety whatsoever. I don't want to say their names," he said. "They don't deserve it and quite frankly, I don't see the purpose."
Officers also entered the recording studio in the wake of the shooting, police say, taking people into custody and finding other guns.
Initially, according to the news release, 23 people were arrested, eight were charged and 16 guns were seized. However, court documents show charges against five of those people were stayed last month at the request of the Crown.
"Initial charges were laid against eight individuals; however, further investigation determined that some were not directly connected to the shooting incident or firearms. As a result, those charges have been withdrawn," police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said in a previous statement.
A 16-year-old boy arrested at the scene was also charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of of Matthew Bergart, which happened in April of 2024.
The bulk of the new charges are firearms offences, alongside multiple instances of failing to comply with a release order.
Krawczyk said eight people charged in connection with the firefight were out on bail at the time of their arrest. Nine other suspects have been identified and are currently wanted in connection with the investigation.
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With files from The Canadian Press