Toronto police announced on Thursday they made 14 further arrests and laid 105 charges in relation to a high-profile gun battle that took place at a recording studio on Queen Street West on Nov. 11.
Toronto Police Service is also seeking nine further suspects, including one youth who cannot legally be named.
“These are very dangerous people,” said Insp. Paul Krawczyk at a news conference. “Are they all in the GTA? Likely not, but I'm sure some are, and we're actively looking for them.”
Police also released dramatic video taken inside the recording studio on the night of the incident, which shows men brandishing and playing with handguns and automatic weapons.
It also shows a man taking cover behind an open door while firing bursts from a sub-machine gun.
The gunfight began when a group opened fire on a recording studio at 1196 Queen St. W., near Dufferin. Another group inside the building returned fire, whereupon the attackers sheltered behind a car, which turned out to be an unmarked police vehicle with plainclothes officers in it.
Nobody was injured during the exchange of fire. All the weapons were traced to the United States.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle that no one was injured or killed, including innocent civilians or police officers,” Krawczyk said.
He called it “a rival gang situation,” but declined to name the gangs involved: “We know who they are, and that's the most important thing.”
Krawczyk said the investigation was of special concern to TPS in part because a video of some suspects brazenly holding guns inside the recording studio was posted to social media ahead of the shooting. Police earlier said these posts were the catalyst for the shootout between rival gangs.
In the aftermath of the original incident, police arrested 23 people and seized 16 firearms. One of those arrested was also charged in relation to a homicide in south Etobicoke in April.
Krawczyk said the behaviour in the video is “not just illegal, it's brazen: guns treated like toys and lives treated as afterthoughts.”
“There are a couple things that strike me when I look at that video. First of all, the casualness: they're here with guns in their laps, like they were a cellphone. They're dancing around, celebrating, jumping around. They don't have a care in the world.”
