TORONTO — A suspect who held up the same Toronto subway station three times and shot a TTC fare collector in the neck five years ago has not been linked to any crimes since then, police said Monday in appealing for information in the case.
The suspect, who is described as a heavyset white man or woman in their 30s or 40s and likely left-handed, has "literally disappeared," Staff Insp. Mike Earl said in a news conference.
"It's a very unique situation," he said. "I've never seen anything like this before where the same place has been targeted three times almost four months apart and no other crimes were committed that we can tell by this individual anywhere else in the GTA or in the province of Ontario."
"I think this individual is probably eccentric and maybe even private" and clearly familiar with the area, he said.
All investigative leads have now dried up, he said, and police are asking for help in identifying the suspect.
A $25,000 reward offered to anyone with information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case has yet to be claimed.
The suspect had held up Dupont subway station in June and October of 2011, both times taking off with small amounts of money, police said.
The third incident, which took place in the evening of Feb. 26, 2012, played out differently, however.
When the fare collector hesitated, the suspect fired several shots at the booth, hitting the collector in the neck and shoulders before fleeing empty-handed, Earl said.
"This is just some kind of animal act committed by some coward for no good reason," he said. "And unfortunately we have a hard-working person that is now suffering, probably for the rest of his life, with injuries and medical issues for what? For nothing."
TTC spokesman Brad Ross said the fare collector, who survived the shooting, is still on disability leave after experiencing "medical issues" during recovery.
"It's very devastating, as you can imagine, being shot and hit in the neck and almost dying," Ross said.
He said that in the wake of the attack, the transit agency took several steps to protect the safety of its employees, including installing better bullet-proof glass at collection booths and reducing the amount of cash held on site in an effort to discourage robberies.
The TTC is also phasing out fare collectors and booths in favour of automated machines, which should help curb safety risks, Ross said.
Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press
