TTC TERROR: Mayor calls woman set ablaze on TTC bus 'a shocking criminal act'
Article content
Toronto Mayor John Tory calls Friday’s random attack on a woman in her 20s, during which she was set on fire by a man on a bus at Kipling Staion, “a shocking criminal act that shouldn’t happen anywhere in our city.”
Tory released the statement on Twitter thanking TTC “employees and bystanders for rushing to help the victim of this attack along with TTC special constables, police officers, firefighters and paramedics.”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
TTC TERROR: Mayor calls woman set ablaze on TTC bus 'a shocking criminal act' Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
A 35-year-old man is in custody for the brutal attack and charges are pending.
“We’re not going to rule out any type of investigation,” Toronto Police Const. Alex Li told reporters at the scene Friday night.
“(Someone) just mentioned hate crime,” he said. “Our investigators will do their due diligence and thorough investigation and speak to all witnesses and look at the video surveillance provided by TTC.”
“It is random, so I can’t confirm what the relationship between the man and the woman was or what was said prior to the accelerant being lit,” Li added.
Tory said he was praying for the woman, who suffered from life-altering injuries according to Toronto Police.
“I have spoken to both TTC CEO Rick Leary and Police Chief James Ramer and both have assured me they are leaving no stone unturned in investigating this matter,” Tory tweeted.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Still, fellow Twitter users were unimpressed by Tory’s remarks.
“Security on #TTC buses and subways is a real concern and has gotten worse over the past 2 years. There are daily delays because of issues on a train or trespassers on the tracks. More has to be done to protect passengers,” tweeted Leslie Lawrence via @leslaw66.
Added Maxine Archambault via @MaxineArchamba2: “The best way to prevent these unacceptable violent acts on our public transit system is to fund programs that treat and house those people with mental illness so they don’t ride TTC all day with nowhere else to go.”
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.