Is Toronto seeing an increase in random attacks?

A Toronto man is speaking out after being threatened and assaulted by two strangers, hoping that by sharing his experience more people will be aware of their surroundings and avoid similar situations.

Nick Lachance says he was on his way to get a haircut when a man on a scooter bumped into him in the area of Spadina Avenue and College Street recently. However, he tells CityNews that the initial bump quickly escalated into something more.

Lachance said the man became aggressive and then began spitting on him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out what appeared to be a knife. That’s when he says a second man showed up, also armed with a blade.

“Once the second person showed up it was very clear it was an orchestrated plan,” he said.

“They saw a camera on my shoulders, it’s not a small camera,” explained Lachance, who is a photojournalist. He said he resisted giving it up and eventually managed to flee the scene without suffering any physical injury.

“I am okay, I am safe, I made a police report, but got nothing. Be on the lookout if you’ve got any gear on you,” he wrote in a social media post in hopes of alerting others who might come across a similar situation.

Lachance’s incident isn’t unique. There have been a number of high-profile random assaults on city streets over the last few months.

According to Toronto police, there have been 6,176 assaults so far this year, however, police could not say how many were random attacks. In 2021, there were more than 19,300 assaults reported and in 2022 that number increased by 10 per cent to over 21,000.

“I’ve lived in Toronto for a decade at this point and this is the first really scary incident that’s happened to me,” said Lachance.

“They took a little bit of my security away but I’m really doing my best to limit that and limit how much this experience affected me.”

Toronto police say if you are in a dangerous situation, call 911 immediately and try to obtain a detailed description of the assailant. They also suggest traveling with another person and to keep your head up and be aware of your surroundings.