Toronto Police Said A Gun Spotted In A School Was Fake & Two People Have Been Arrested
They're still looking for other suspects.
A gun call that forced two schools in Scarborough into lockdown and several nearby schools into hold and secure Thursday afternoon has resulted in two arrests and police are still looking for other suspects.
The Toronto Police Service (TPS) was called to David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute, in the Brockley Drive and Treewood Street area of Scarborough, at around 1:00 p.m. for reports of someone with a gun "in the school," which they said turned out to be a fake gun.
Police said a "replica firearm" was recovered and two people were arrested, in a tweet sent out shortly after 5:00 p.m., well after the end of the school day.
At that time, the lockdowns and nearby hold and secures had been lifted.
According to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), students were being let out of school "class by class".
Police said 2 people are "outstanding" and the investigation is ongoing.
Speaking to reports on the scene, TPS Acting Duty Inspector Jason Albanese said police had an "extremely robust response" to the situation.
Officers were spotted in and around the school carrying assault rifles.
The two people in custody are "affiliated to the school in some way" and"multiple people" are involved in this incident, according to CP24.
This incident follows a consistent string of violent incidents at Toronto schools, including a stabbing at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute in Scarborough that left a 17-year-old boy with life-threatening injuries and a fatal shooting outside Woburn Collegiate Institute in late October.
Mayor John Tory has called these incidents "extremely troubling," and met with TDSB and TPS officials to discuss solutions earlier this week, which include bolstering youth programming, food security initiatives, and mental health and well-being support in schools.