Scammer
Banned
Police search a section of alley near Portland Street and Queen Street West.
A 27-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of a young Toronto man in the city's first homicide of 2011.
Luke Heath, who was accompanied by his lawyer, surrendered to police at 14 Division at about 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. He was also charged with attempted murder and is expected to appear in court at Old City Hall on Monday morning.
Homicide investigators said earlier they believed it wouldn't take very long to identify the suspect because security camera images from the area of Queen Street West, where 20-year-old Brian Takahashi was stabbed to death on Saturday morning, clearly show the attacker.
"I don't think it will take long before we identify this person," Det. David Ecklund told CBC News earlier Sunday. "My best advice for [the suspect] is to contact a lawyer and … turn themselves in."
The slaying happened barely two hours into the new year. A second man was injured.
Takahashi and some friends were on Queen Street West, near Bathurst Street, when they were approached by a group with a video camera.
"The suspect approaches our group and asks about New Year's resolutions," Ecklund said.
"There's a couple of other people with him — one of which has a video camera … and then there's two females also that are with that group, that we're obviously interested in speaking to."
When the groups connected, there was some sort of argument.
"Our suspect is on [security] video and he approaches and of course makes that request, 'What are your New Year's resolutions?' [The suspect] then leaves and comes back approximately an hour later. That's when both of the victims are stabbed."
"We don't know 100 per cent," what led to the attack, Ecklund said. "What we do know is that [the suspect] does approach the group. There is a verbal altercation. And he later returns and continues that altercation."
Ian Peters, who lives and works in the area, said he heard a lot of noise in the early morning hours on Jan. 1.
"They were partying hard. A lot of stuff was going on. Arguments, fights, girls and guys fighting," said Peters.
The stretch of Queen Street near Bathurst where the stabbings happened is a busy strip on most weekend nights. It was also busy on New Year's Eve.
Takahashi, who police say lived near Milton, west of Toronto, and a 19-year-old friend were stabbed in an alley near Queen Street West and Portland Street at 2:25 a.m. They were rushed to hospital.
