Ossington marijuana shop allegedly robbed at gunpoint

Toronto police are investigating an alleged armed robbery at a medical marijuana shop on Ossington Avenue Wednesday night.

Witnesses told CityNews three to four masked men, at least one with a gun, entered Canna Clinic just after 10 p.m. and told everyone to get on the ground.

Justin, who doesn’t want his last name used, was there to make a purchase and said there were at least 20 customers being served at the time.

“There was a big line and mid-transaction I heard, ‘Nobody move! Everybody freeze! Get on the ground!’” he said.

“I thought we were being raided, and my heart started going. The first guy had a silver handgun. I got on the floor and didn’t move.”

Justin said the shelves of pot jars, oils and paraphernalia were emptied. He also heard the cash register opening.

Shaken, he posted about the incident on Facebook shortly after the gunmen left.

 

When CityNews tried to confirm the incident, police said the pot shop hadn’t reported it. By 10 a.m. Thursday, the dispensary was open for business as usual.

Canna Clinic is part of a chain and has several locations around the city. The owner did not respond to numerous attempts for a comment.

Employees at the Ossington location would not confirm or deny the robbery.

Another witness who wanted to remain anonymous reported the incident because he didn’t want the alleged crime to be ignored.

“There was a gun, and this is my community,” he said. “This was a gun crime. It can’t be ignored.”

Justin said he will also be giving a statement to police.

“Otherwise, there is no deterrent,” he said. “Thankfully, no one got hurt or robbed. They were just after money and drugs. But just say something goes wrong next time.”

Police canvassed Canna Clinic and surrounding businesses on Thursday looking for security video.