Boy, 13, arrested after robbing students with toy gun at Etobicoke school: police
Posted January 18, 2023 3:47 pm.
Last Updated January 18, 2023 5:33 pm.
Toronto police arrested a 13-year-old boy after the student brought a toy gun to Lanor Junior Middle School in Etobicoke and allegedly robbed two fellow students.
Police tell CityNews the incident occurred at around 3:15 p.m. and was being treated as a robbery investigation.
Investigators allege students were inside a school bathroom when the young suspect pointed what appeared to be a firearm and demanded money. All three students involved, including the suspect, are from the same school.
The gun was determined to be a cap gun, and no one was injured.
Police later arrested and charged a 13-year-old boy with two counts of robbery with a weapon. He was not identified through the province’s Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).
School principal sends letter to parents, guardians
The school’s principal, Robert Nigro, sent a letter to parents on Wednesday explaining what happened and how staff responded.
“Yesterday, I was told by a student near the time of dismissal that he’d been shown a toy cap gun in the boys’ bathroom,” he wrote.
“This allegation was taken very seriously. As soon as I had this information, my priority was student and staff safety. All students were in class, and the hallways were clear.
“I retrieved the item immediately and confirmed it was, in fact, a toy. This was done in a matter of minutes, prior to the dismissal bell at the end of the day.”
Nigro said once it was determined that there was no threat to the safety of students or staff, his priority shifted “to focusing on the impacted students, ensuring they were supported and informing the parents of all the students involved in the incident.”
“Knowing that it was a toy, and all students and staff were physically safe, I took the necessary time to conduct a preliminary investigation to ensure all the information gathered was correct and corroborated by the parties involved.”
According to the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) code of behaviour policies, “the possession of weapons or replicas” is forbidden at all of its schools.
