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Man facing charges after alleged afterhours Greater Toronto Area theatre shootings

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A York Regional Police patch is shown in Aurora, Ont., on December 19, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

Police say a 27-year-old man has been charged after a series of alleged overnight shootings at four movie theatres across the Greater Toronto Area. 

York Regional Police say the man from Markham, Ont., is facing charges including conspiracy, intimidation, possession of stolen property and four counts of careless use of a firearm. 

Police say they are looking for more suspects who they believe were involved in the string of alleged shootings on the same night in late January that shattered the windows and damaged the entryways of movie theatres but left no reported injuries.

An Ontario film distributor has alleged that the shootings are linked to an intimidation campaign by other film distributors to prevent popular South Indian movies from appearing in large chains.

Police say officers were called to a theatre near Highway 7 and East Beaver Creek on Jan. 24 after an employee arrived for work and found the front doors had been shot. 

Police say officers in Vaughan, Ont., responded to a similar call on the same day at a theatre on Highway 7 and Weston Road. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2024. 

The Canadian Press


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