Much Ado About Nothing

This is a strange attitude/comment for a police officer to make about an incident that seems to be more than a prank and involved property damage, shots being fired and a potential for vehicular assault. Has street crime made officers that blase?

Mysterious crash baffles cops
By JONATHAN JENKINS

Blood, shell casings and a burst gas line were left for police to puzzle over yesterday after a baffling car crash in the west end.

"It's much ado about nothing right now," Toronto police Staff-Sgt Bruce Kennedy said. "(But) it did happen. We are investigating."

All cops can say for sure is that around 4 a.m., a car drove onto the curb toward some pedestrians near St. Clair and Lansdowne.

"The car mounts the curb and heads toward a group of four or five people," Kennedy said. "We're not sure how fast, or whether it's deliberate.

"At the same time, either just after or simultaneously or maybe just before, there's four or five gunshots."

The car didn't hit the group of people but did slam into a building, shearing the gas main.

The car, a red or burgundy Honda, then tore off south on Lansdowne with its headlights off, Kennedy said.

"We've got no victims, no car," he said.

"There's nobody in hospital who's been shot.

"We've got some blood on the streetcar tracks, but nothing serious. We don't know if someone fell down and cut themselves."

There were at least four shell casings on the ground but cops have no idea who was shooting or why.

They're also not sure if the car was driving at the people on the sidewalk or if it was just out of control.

None of those people stuck around but two witnesses in the area spoke with officers and told them roughly the same version of events.

"The exact sequence of events we just can't say," Kennedy said. "The gunshots go off and of course everybody scatters."

Anyone with information should call police at 416-808-1300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.