Arrest made in homicide case
[attach]6714[/attach]Police made an arrest in the city’s fourth homicide of the year just days after it occurred.
A 50-year-old Toronto woman was charged with second degree murder on Jan. 23, after Jose Ignacio Ortiz, 65, was found dead four days earlier.
Police say Toronto Fire Services had been called to Ortiz’s basement apartment at 117 Melville Ave. at about 9:40 p.m. on Jan. 19 in response to a possible gas leak. At the scene, Ortiz was found already dead. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.
Charged is Leahann Hohmann.
Fur coat vandal may have accomplice
A woman who was damaging winter coats with fur-lined collars in Yorkville stores in December is believed to have an accomplice, say police.
In a news release, police released a description of both women in hopes of identifying them. The first woman is described as white, 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-6 with a medium build. She was last seen wearing blue denim baggy pants, a white 3/4-length winter coat, black beret-style hat and was carrying a black shoulder bag. The second woman is described as white, about 5-foot-4 with a medium build and black hair. She was last seen wearing a dark 3/4-length winter coat and dark pants.
IPhone stolen from TTC rider
A man was robbed of his cellphone and then threatened while riding the subway.
Police say a 23-year-old man was on the TTC near Yonge and Bloor at around 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 when two men approached him. One man took the victim’s iPhone and fled. The victim then tried to get it back and was punched in the face. One suspect then said he had a gun and threatened to shoot the victim. No weapon was seen. The suspects then fled and the victim was not injured.
Bank robbed at gunpoint
No one was hurt in an armed robbery at a bank in Yorkville in mid-January. According to police, a teller for TD Canada Trust at 165 Avenue Rd. told them a man entered the bank at 7:38 p.m. on Jan. 18 wearing a disguise. The man went up to the counter and pulled out a gun, demanding cash. The teller complied, and the suspect fled the scene.
Swarming robbery leaves victim unhurt
A man was robbed in a swarming-style attack near Dufferin and Rogers Road. The 20-year-old victim told police four men approached him around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 18 and a struggle ensued.
One suspect grabbed the victim by the collar while another searched his pockets. The suspects took the victim’s wallet, iPhone and keys before fleeing west on Martin Street.
The victim was not hurt.
Trio of women have their phones snatched from their hands
A woman in the Annex had her phone stolen directly out of her hand.
Police say the 32-year-old victim was near Spadina and Dupont on Jan. 21 at around 9:30 a.m. when a man approached and took the phone out of her hand before fleeing the scene. The woman was not hurt.
A similar robbery occurred two days earlier just a couple streets west. A 28-year-old woman was near Dupont and Kendal Avenue on Jan. 19 at around 8:50 p.m. when a man approached her and took her purse before fleeing the scene. The woman was not hurt.
Another woman had her phone taken from her, this time near Bloor and Ossington. The 35-year-old victim told police she was near Delaware Avenue and Bloor, just west of Ossington at around 7:55 p.m. on Jan. 17 when a man approached her from behind. The man then took her cellphone and fled the scene.
The woman was not hurt.
