

Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





Police are searching for men who allegedly confronted a group of teenage boys in a park near Little Italy last week, stabbing and pistol-whipping one boy before fleeing in a stolen minivan.

Investigators say that on July 29 at about 2:45 p.m., three 17-year-old boys were walking in George Ben Park, near Ossington Avenue and Roxton, having just bought some clothes at a nearby store.

Three men pulled up to the park in a stolen, wheelchair-accessible Dodge Caravan.

The three men approached the boys and demanded that they hand over the clothes they just purchased. When the boys refused to hand over the goods, police say the suspects attacked them.

One of the boys was pistol-whipped and stabbed, while the other two boys were not injured.

Police said the assailants eventually returned to the van empty-handed.

The van was last seen fleeing northbound on Ossington Avenue.

The boy who was stabbed was taken to a hospital trauma centre in serious condition.

The van had a personalized license plate of “4BW.” It is believed two other males were inside the van during the alleged assault.

The first suspect is described as a black male standing six-feet tall with an average build. He is approximately 18yearsold. He was wearing all-black clothing including a hoodie covering much of his head.

The second suspect is described as a black male, standing between five-feet-six and five-feet-ten inches tall with a thin build. He is approximately 18 years-old and has short black hair.

The third suspect is described as a white male, standing about six-feet-tall with a thin build. He is approximately 18-years-old and was wearing a black baseball hat at the time of the alleged incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-1406, or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477 (TIPS).