TURF WARS: Two charged in Pickering with ‘conspiracy to commit murder’ day after mass Scarborough shooting

Two people were arrested inside a Pickering pub and charged with conspiracy to commit murder the day after a mass shooting at the Piper Arms pub in Scarborough that injured 12 people.

Three armed men walked into the pub near the Scarborough Town Centre mall on their grand opening Friday night and opened fire on the crowd inside.

The three suspects then fled the scene and remain at large.

Media reports obtained through the courts linked the two charged in Pickering with the Scarborough shooting and conspiracy theories are also thick on social media linking the shootings and the Pickering arrest with the ongoing tow truck turf wars – one of those arrested in Pickering arrest had applied for a tow truck license in 2023, according to a media report.

Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson, whose ward the Piper Arms is in, has also already publicly made the link.

Toronto Police, however, have not yet made any official connection between the two incidents.

“All we can confirm is that two people have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. We do not know the circumstances around those arrests,” said Toronto Police Senior Communications Advisor Nadine Ramadan. “They have not been arrested for the shooting on Friday, and I can’t speak to any connection with that investigation.”

Thompson said he is hopeful the public can provide some leads to help police in “removing the perpetrators off our streets and out of our neighbourhoods.”

“We will not be cowered by those among us who threaten our sense of security and enjoyment of our city,” he said. “We are blessed that this unconscionable act has not resulted in mass fatalities.”

Toronto Police say the suspects in the Scarborough opened fire as diners celebrated the pub’s opening night – shooting “indiscriminately” – then fled in a silver car.

Seven people were hit by gunfire, while the others were injured by flying glass. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

Police have said that one of the suspects was armed with an assault rifle while the other two had handguns. The motive for the shooting has yet to be determined and Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw called it “an incredibly brazen act of violence” when he visited the Scarborough shooting site on the weekend.

Demkiw said police are “working around the clock” gathering evidence, speaking with witnesses and “pursuing every lead” to locate those responsible.

With files from Canadian Press