The Toronto Police Service is updating the public on an incident at the Islamic Institute of Toronto.
On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at approximately 11:50 a.m., police responded to a 911 call to the Institute in Scarborough.
A statement was issued last night.
It is alleged:
– a man and a woman were under the influence of illicit drugs
– they noticed keys in the door of the building and tried to enter the building
– they were confronted by a staff member
– the man held up an object and threatened to ‘blow up’ the building. The object was later discovered to be a set of keys
– the woman pointed her fingers to make a gun shape and threatened to shoot the victim
– the victim fled and called police
Officers arrived on scene in minutes and immediately arrested the man and woman.
Nickodemo Bruzzese, 24, of Toronto, and Samantha Stone, 22, of no fixed address, have been charged with:
1) Break and Enter
2) Threaten Death
3) Mischief to Property – Endanger Life
They were both held in custody to appear in court at 1911 Eglinton Avenue East, on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at 10 a.m., room 412.
This remains an active investigation led by 42 Division’s Major Crime Unit and we would ask people not to speculate on the motive until the full facts are uncovered.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest this is hate motivated but the Service recognizes that this incident has understandably caused concern in communities. We want to assure everyone we have engaged our Hate Crime Unit out of an abundance of caution and we will continue to support members of the Institute and the wider community.
Officers will continue to patrol the area.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-4200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, online on our Facebook Leave a Tip page, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes or Google Play.
For more news, visit TPSnews.ca.