Latest news with #swarmingattack
CBC
11-07-2025
- CBC
2 teen girls charged in Oshawa swarming attack, police say hate not believed to be factor
Updated Police still searching for 2 other teens, say youngest involved was 11 but cannot be charged Two girls have been arrested in a swarming attack on a Muslim woman in Oshawa, Ont., and police say there is no evidence so far to indicate hate was a factor. The victim had her hijab ripped off and was repeatedly kicked in the attack at a Pizza Pizza on July 2. The girls, 13 and 14, have been charged with assault causing bodily harm, Durham Regional Police said in a news release on Friday. Police are still searching for a 13-year-old boy, wanted for assault causing bodily harm, obstructing police and failure to comply with a release order, police said. An 11-year-old boy also participated but cannot be charged due to his age. Police have yet to identify a fifth suspect, a girl believed to be 12-15. She is described as having a thin build and long braids, and was wearing a grey t-shirt, spandex grey pants and black sandals. According to police, the incident began when a group of young people caused a disturbance at the restaurant. One person jumped behind the counter and tried to take an item. The victim tried to stop the person and a "violent struggle ensued," police said. While the two were struggling, several other people also jumped behind the counter, swarming and assaulting the victim, police added. In the release, police noted that hate crime is not a standalone charge under the Criminal Code. Police said determining whether hate played a role requires consulting with the Crown attorney's office. If hate is determined to be a motivating factor in the attack, it can be considered during sentencing and may result in a higher sentence, police said. Anyone with information is urged to come forward to police.
CBC
11-07-2025
- CBC
2 teen girls arrested Oshawa swarming attack, police say hate so far not believed to be factor
Two girls have been arrested in a swarming attack on a Muslim woman in Oshawa, Ont., and police say there is no evidence so far to indicate hate was a factor. The victim had her hijab ripped off and was repeatedly kicked in the attack at a Pizza Pizza on July 2. The girls, 13 and 14, have been charged with assault causing bodily harm, Durham Regional Police said in a news release Friday. Police are still searching for a 13-year-old, wanted for assault causing bodily harm, obstructing police and failure to comply with a release order, police say. An 11-year-old also participated but cannot be charged due to his age. Police have yet to identify a fifth suspect, believed to be 12-15. She is described as having a thin build and long braids, and was wearing a grey t-shirt, spandex grey pants and black sandals. According to police, the incident began when a group of young people caused a disturbance at the restaurant. One person jumped behind the counter and tried to take an item. The victim tried to stop the person and a "violent struggle ensued," police said. While the two were struggling, several other people also jumped behind the counter, swarming and assaulting the victim, police added. In the release, police noted that hate crime is not a standalone charge under the Criminal Code. Police said determining whether hate played a role requires consulting with the Crown attorney's office. If hate is determined to be a motivating factor in the attack, it can be considered during sentencing and may result in a higher sentence, police said.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
Two girls, 13 and 14, charged in swarming attack at pizza restaurant in Oshawa
Two teenage girls have been charged in connection with a swarming attack at a pizza restaurant in Oshawa last week. Durham police announced the arrests on Friday. They said investigators have also identified another suspect, an 11-year-old boy, but due to his age, he will not be charged. Police continue to look for two other suspects, a teenage boy and girl, in connection with the July 2 attack that occurred at a Pizza Pizza on Wentworth Street East and Cedar Street. Durham police said they were initially called to the restaurant for an assault. A group believed to consist of young people was causing a disturbance at the restaurant, with one person jumping behind the counter to try to take an item, police said. 'That suspect was confronted by the victim, and a violent struggle ensued. During that struggle, several other individuals also jumped behind the counter, swarmed and assaulted the victim,' police alleged in a news release on Saturday. Extended security camera footage obtained by CTV News shows around 10 people in the group, some of them jumping over the counter to join in the fray. In Friday's news release, police said the two girls, a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old, were charged with assault causing bodily harm. As for the other two outstanding suspects, police said they know the identity of one of them, a 13-year-old boy. He is wanted for assault causing bodily harm, obstructing police and failure to comply with a release order. The other suspect has not been identified and is described as a Black girl between 12 and 15 years old with a thin build and long braids. She was last seen wearing a grey T-shirt, spandex grey pants and black sandals. Police said there is no evidence at this time to indicate that hate was an aggravating factor in the assault, and the investigation remains ongoing. The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) called on police to look into 'every angle of this incident,' including investigating the possibility that it was hate-motivated. The NCCM said the suspects pulled off the victim's hijab before assaulting her and stomping on her head. During a news conference following the incident, the victim's daughter shared that her mother was 'deeply shaken' by what happened. Police are asking anyone with information to contact investigators at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- CTV News
WARNING: Security video captures violent swarming attack in Oshawa
Video Security video shows a swarming attack in Oshawa where a group of young people allegedly jumped over the counter of a fast-food restaurant to attack a woman.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Verdict expected for teen girl accused of murder in swarming attack on homeless man
TORONTO — A judge is expected to deliver a verdict this afternoon for one of the teen girls accused in the fatal swarming attack on a homeless Toronto man in 2022. The girl, who was 14 at the time of the attack, was one of eight teens charged in Kenneth Lee's death. Her second-degree murder trial wrapped up in early April after the Crown rejected her attempt to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Prosecutors have alleged that the girl was the one who inflicted Lee's fatal wound by stabbing the 59-year-old with a knife or a small pair of scissors during the December 2022 attack. No knife was ever recovered as part of the investigation, the trial heard, and the defence has argued the girl didn't have a knife at any point that night. Security footage of the swarming attack at a downtown Toronto parkette was central to the trial — but the girl's defence lawyer argued it's impossible to tell from the video who stabbed Lee and when, noting Lee himself didn't seem to notice the injury at the time. The Crown said in its closing submissions that at two points, the girl can be seen in the video extending her hand in a stabbing motion that correlates with the cuts on Lee's body. When she was arrested, the girl was found with two small pairs of scissors and some tweezers, court heard. The forensic pathologist who examined Lee's body testified he died from hemorrhagic shock after he was stabbed in the heart. He also had a smaller, non-fatal stab wound near his armpit and an assortment of bruises, court heard. The pathologist testified it was unlikely that the scissors found with the girl would have caused the wound that killed Lee. The Crown argued the girl had the opportunity to get rid of a knife after leaving the parkette in moments that were not caught on surveillance video. Lee was living in the city's shelter system and was at the parkette near Toronto's Union station with a friend when they encountered the group. He died in the early hours of Dec. 18, 2022, after undergoing emergency surgery at St. Michael's Hospital, court has heard. After Lee's death, police arrested eight girls between the ages of 13 and 16 in the case and charged them with second-degree murder, but seven of them have since pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Five have pleaded guilty to manslaughter, one to assault and one to assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
