Client stabbed at notorious midtown shelter, suspects IDed
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The City of Toronto has confirmed the man stabbed Saturday evening in midtown was a client of a notorious temporary homeless shelter.
Police say the 44-year-old man was outside the Roehampton Hotel at 808 Mount Pleasant Rd. at Eglinton when he got into a dispute with three other men.
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The victim was stabbed numerous times and the three suspects fled the area.
In a statement released Sunday evening, on-site security saw the dispute unfold on closed-circuit video surveillance and were on-scene immediately.
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He was taken to hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition.
Police are seeking three men in connection with the stabbing.
Colin Defreitas, 27, of Toronto is wanted for aggravated assault.
He’s described as a six-foot-one, 150 lbs. male with brown hair and a beard. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a dark jacket, and a backwards baseball cap.
Reese Morris, no age specified, is also wanted for aggravated assault.
Police say he’s a 20- to 30-year-old male with black hair in medium-length twists, wearing black track pants with a white vertical stripe on the side, a white ‘Adidas’ t-shirt, and white running shoes.
The third suspect is a five-foot-nine, 20- to 25-years-old, 150 to 170 lbs. male with a large afro, also dressed in black track pants with a white vertical stripe, a white ‘Adidas’ t-shirt, and white running shoes.
He was armed with a machete.
No information on suspect race was provided by police.
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All three are considered armed, violent and dangerous, and if they’re spotted police say to call 911 immediately.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5300, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
The Roehampton Hotel interim shelter, established as part of the city’s COVID-19 response, has been the site of numerous violent incidents, along with an adjacent shelter space on Broadway Ave.
Numerous nearby businesses have reported thefts, robberies and damage, and frustrated area residents held a rally last weekend demanding the city take action.
Earlier this month, a city employee was stabbed at the Broadway Ave. interim shelter, which is set to close next week.
The lease for the Roehampton Hotel site has been extended another two years.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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