Accused named in armed robbery at Etobicoke school

Toronto police have disclosed the names of seven of the 10 people arrested after a shooting and armed robbery at an Etobicoke high school last week.

Three of the accused are young offenders and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Police allege the accused are responsible for 18 armed robberies in Toronto, one in Peel Region and two in York Region.

Officers said the March 7 shooting at Thistletown Collegiate Institute was part of a “huge” crime spree that began in January.

Staff Insp. Mike Earl said Friday that the “greed-related” crime spree started in Peel region on Jan. 8 and became more violent as time passed. The majority of the robberies targeted retail stores, with the accused making off with money, cigarettes, cellphones and lottery tickets.

The most recent spate of robberies was last Thursday, when the accused allegedly took cellphones from two female students just outside a Thistletown school entrance. The thieves then targeted a male student who was shot at as he ran away. The bullet missed the teen and hit a parked car.

The group then robbed two stores, police allege.

Four of the 10 people arrested are accused in the Thistletown robbery.

Yonis Hashi, 19, of Brampton; Mohamed Ali-Mudei, 18, of Toronto; Djama Riyaleh, 18, of Toronto; and Khalid Hassan, 19, of Toronto, face multiple robbery and firearm-related charges.

Police also arrested Stefan Kendall, 42, of Toronto; Abdikarim Abdi, 18, of Toronto; Abdikarim Nur, 19, of Toronto; a 17-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy.

They are scheduled to appear in court this week.