REWARD IS FIRST OF ITS KIND FOR TTC
Security camera footage catches a glimpse of the suspect wielding a gun on October 2, 2011. Police are appealing for any information regarding the individual's identity. Courtesy TPS.
By Richard Frankel
As leads dry up, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is offering its first-ever reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect that fired three shots at a Dupont station fare collector, hospitalizing him, last Feb. 26.
“We’re putting up this reward so the staff in general feel supported,” said TTC CEO Andy Byford. “This shows the TTC means business. We’re serious about backing our staff and supporting our staff and protecting our staff.”
This was the third robbery of the station’s collector booth since 2011. All three robberies occurred during weekend evenings over a span of four months from each other.
According to a Toronto Police Services (TPS) news release, investigators believe the same suspect is responsible.
“Same collector booth by the same individual and we’re on the eve of the fourth month which gives us great concern also,” said Staff Inspector Mike Earl of the Hold Up Squad.
Earl says during the third robbery, a witness followed the suspect down Spadina Road to MacPherson Avenue. The witness observed this individual get into a four-door silver vehicle and speed northbound on Spadina, but the individual who chased the suspect still has not come forward.
“Maybe the $25,000 will bring him out of hiding,” said Earl, who also appealed to the media and the public’s assistance to call Crime Stoppers or the Hold Up Squad with any information to catch the suspect.
Earl describes the suspect as white, between 35 to 40 years old, with a heavy and stout build. He said the suspect carried a revolver type handgun in the left hand in each robbery.
He said police want to be “gender non-specific” in case it is a female.
Byford said his member of staff, William Anderson, 52, who was shot in the neck and shoulder last February and is making a good physical recovery. His time-frame to return to work is unclear.
“The recovery is going well and he’s been given good treatment by the hospital but mentally this is a traumatic event that has happened to him so for obvious reasons he’s still pretty cut up about it,” said Byford. “We are giving him every assistance in coping psychologically with what’s happened.”
He said the TTC has taken steps to improve safety and security by reducing the amount of cash that is kept in the booths and increasing the amount of debit transactions. In addition, there are also increased patrols by uniformed police, uniformed transit officers, and plainclothes officers.