Videos of two of the several shootings in the Toronto area over the weekend involving tow trucks show bullets fired from moving vehicles and hitting trucks.
In one case, surveillance videos taken on Saturday show a pickup truck with a tow company’s decals slow to a stop in the middle of the intersection of Markham Road and Munham Gate, the driver climbing out, wounded.
And in another case, a dash cam video shows a window roll down from a passing black Honda Civic, and several shots can be heard as the driver brakes and radios for help.
“Yo, someone shot my truck,” the driver can be heard saying on the video.
A still from the dashcam footage can be seen above.
It’s the latest flare-up in a turf war in an industry riven with organized crime, as players fight over lucrative tow fees as well as the repair and storage charges that can add up to big profits.
The attack captured on dashcam video was at Markham Road, just south of the 401 Highway at 8pm on Saturday. No one was injured there – but it was a prelude to a violent weekend.
Just two hours later, police were called to the area of Finch Avenue East and Markham road for a similar incident.
Then on Sunday around 5pm, police say they found a man with a gunshot wound. The video suggests that is the driver of the pickup truck. Paramedics said they transported one patient to a local hospital with minor injuries.
The suspect fled in a vehicle, police said in a post on X. Police do not have a description available for this individual at this time. Witnesses who CTV news spoke to said they heard around three gunshots.
Early Monday morning, Durham Regional Police said they were investigating a fire at a tow yard on Altona Road and Kingston Road as arson.
A major figure in one prosecution of tow companies, Alexander Vinogradsky, was shot dead in March.
The Toronto Police Service said in a statement, “Police are investigating incidents of threatening behaviour and firearms, including the incidents that took place this weekend.”
“Members of the public have the right to decide who tows their vehicle and where it is towed. If possible, drivers should request a destination of their own choosing to the tow operator. Anyone with concerns about illegally operating tow trucks can report them to the City of Toronto via 311. If the driver has committed a criminal offence this should be reported to police, and if it’s an emergency, should contact 911. Toronto Police continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt these groups,” the statement said.
