Police arrest second person in connection to demonstration that blocked Gardiner Expressway
Posted March 20, 2024 1:36 pm.
Toronto police have arrested and charged a second person in connection to a demonstration last November that blocked traffic on the busy Gardiner Expressway.
Officers received several calls about a demonstration blocking the westbound Gardiner at Spadina Avenue on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, at around 1:21 p.m.
Police say several people stopped on the expressway and got out of their vehicles to engage in an “unlawful assembly on the highway.”
The demonstrators fled when police arrived, but the investigation remained open, and on Jan. 22, 2024, members of the Hate Crime Unit executed a search warrant, arresting Ahmad Islaih. The 26-year-old was charged with mischief interfering with property.
In an update, investigators said a second suspect, Omair Khan, surrendered to police on Tuesday, March 19.
Khan, 25, of Toronto, is facing a single charge of mischief interfering with property.
Earlier this week, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw provided an update on demonstration-related arrests in the city, saying as of October 7, 2023, police had made 24 protest-related arrests and laid 30 charges.
“It has been 163 days since the Middle East crisis began, and the impact of the geopolitical unrest abroad continues to affect people worldwide, including in Canada and right here in Toronto,” said Demkiw. “We are laser-focused on the task at hand: keeping the city safe.”
