12-year-old boy and man charged in fatal, unprovoked attack in downtown Toronto: police

A 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man have been arrested with connection to a series of violent robberies and an unprovoked attack that resulted in the death of a man in downtown Toronto late last month. 

Toronto police said the 62-year-old male victim was sleeping on a bench in the Queen Street West and Bay Street area on Aug. 31, just after 6 a.m., when the suspects approached him and attacked him with a weapon.

Police said one of the suspects was armed with a hammer. 

The suspects then fled the area, police said. 

The victim attended a hospital with serious injuries and was released.

On Sept. 4, the victim was located at the scene without vital signs, and succumbed to his injuries, police said.

Police said the victim’s cause of death was determined to be related to the attack from earlier that week. 

Det. Sgt. Stacey McCabe said at a news conference Monday that the incident was part of a series of violent attacks targeting vulnerable individuals that took place on the morning of Aug. 31 in the downtown core. 

A 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man were arrested and both charged with second-degree-murder, two counts of assault with a weapon and aggravated assault.

“This was a disturbing crime spree,” McCabe said.

Attacks ‘extremely violent’, targeted vulnerable people: police

McCabe said the incidents took place between 5:45 a.m. and 8:07 a.m. 

“All of these attacks were extremely violent and they targeted vulnerable members of our city,” McCabe said Monday. 

The first assault took place at 5:45 a.m. in the area of Yonge Street and Dundas Street. The two suspects approached an unhoused man and began to “violently” beat him, McCabe said. 

McCabe said the victim was able to escape and the suspects walked away and continued west on Dundas Street until 5:52 a.m., when the two suspects encountered a second unhoused man and began assaulting him.

The second man was also able to escape and was taken to hospital.

McCabe said the suspects continued west until they reached Nathan Phillips Square and attacked the 62-year-old victim who later succumbed to his injuries.  

Following this attack, the suspects continued to walk in the Yonge Street and Gerrard Street area where they asked to use the phone of a elderly male, McCabe said. 

They then grabbed the man’s phone and when he tried to get it back, he was pushed to the ground.

McCabe said the final assault took place in the Yonge Street and College Street area just after 8 a.m.

The suspects approached a man and asked to use his phone. When the man refused, the suspects slapped the phone out of his hand and threw an object at him, McCabe said. 

McCabe said the two suspects were arrested shortly after the final attack. 

She said that officers believe more people were approached by the two suspects on the morning of the attacks, and that people may have witnessed these attacks. 

Police are asking anyone with information to reach out to investigators.