Alleged rock thrower has history of violence, mental health woes
Article content
Alleged rock-thrower Kola Alex Ogunkoya, who was busted Monday after a video circulated of a man attacking a Toronto police officer, has a history of violent clashes with police and the public, sources told the Toronto Sun.
On Monday, a 27-year-old downtown resident confronted a man rifling through his mail-box, according to a source.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Alleged rock thrower has history of violence, mental health woes Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
The man allegedly hurled a rock at the resident, before punching the resident, who fought off the attacker and called police.
Toronto Police Const. Jade McMurray showed up alone in her cruiser.
The ensuing altercation was caught on video as a man repeatedly hurled a rock at McMurray, smashing her cruiser’s windows. She twice struck the suspect with her Taser, but it failed to stop him.
He repeatedly threw the rock at the five-year officer, who took cover and circled her vehicle. The stone narrowly missed the officer, who pulled out her firearm at the last moment.
Other officers arrived and came to her assistance.
A man was arrested and brought to 51 Division, where, according to sources, he allegedly told the booking officer, “I am gonna f—— kill you just for wearing that uniform.”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Ogunkoya faces several charges, including assaulting an officer with a weapon, theft from mail and uttering threats.
Supt. Peter Moreira in an interview that McMurray “tried every step to de-escalate the situation,” starting with communicating with the man who threw rocks at her.
“She kept her cool, maintained a safe distance and used as little force as possible,” said Moreira, who is McMurray’s boss at 51 Division.
“In the end, the best result was achieved as no one was injured,” said Moreira.
In 2018, Ogunkoya threatened to decapitate a police officer, saying he “smelled like the blood of all the people he has killed,” sources told the Sun. All charges were diverted to a mental health court and he was released after a brief stay mental health facility.
Ogunkoya has been arrested and charged twice since December 2019 for stealing downtown residents’ mail but was released after brief stints in jail.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
When he was arrested in December 2019 after he was seen carrying hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of mail, court heard. Residents complained their mail had been going missing for months, police alleged.
The Crown released Ogunkoya on March 31 after 17 days in jail, staying the charges, asserting it wasn’t in the public interest to prosecute.
He has no criminal convictions and has been hospitalized for an undiagnosed mental illness several times since 2013.
spazzano@postmedia.com
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.