Charges laid in ‘offensive’ videos showing Toronto businesses, residents harassed

Police have charged two Toronto men after several videos posted on social media showing residents and business employees being harassed in a series of incidents, including clips showing at least one of the men jumping behind the counters at restaurants and a pharmacy.

“These are people whom we allege video themselves committing crimes and then posting them online … I think anyone looking at the videos would be disgusted, would be horrified, at not only what these people are doing, but the fact that they videoed and posted online,” Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

“From what I’ve seen, they target and torment vulnerable people – whether it’s jumping over counters at restaurants, taking over restaurants, whether it’s letting off fire extinguishers at people, terrorizing people, intimidating people.”

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Pugash said police became aware of the videos, posted under the name “F—kry in the Six,” a week and a half ago. He said based on what investigators have seen, the incidents appear to have happened over the past year.

In a June 2016 video, one of the men was seen discharging a fire extinguisher on a street, jumping on several cash register stands at a grocery store, leaping over the counter at a Subway restaurant and spraying sauce in a cup, and stopping buses on the street.

A December 2016 video showed one of the men jumping over the counter of a pharmacy. Another clip shows one of the men walking behind the counter of a McDonald’s location, grab an order of fries and walk toward the door of the restaurant.

The group’s latest video entitled “Following people” was published on April 21. It showed one of the men hovering around and following people closely as they walk and jog on a path near Lake Ontario.

However late Wednesday afternoon, the videos posted on a YouTube channel were removed. A YouTube spokesperson told Global News in a statement that the account user took down the videos.

“All videos uploaded to YouTube must comply with our Community Guidelines and we have strict policies that prohibit misconduct on YouTube,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Pugash said there haven’t been reports of people being physically harmed, but he said the incidents would have most likely been “traumatic” mentally and emotionally for those targeted.

“You can see the shocked and terrified reactions in the videos,” he said.

“If people are behaving in this incredibly anti-social and offensive way, and then they have the nerve to video and post it online, we have to follow the evidence where it leads us.”

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Police arrested 21-year-old Toronto resident Liban Issa on Tuesday. He has been charged with two counts of mischief interfere with property, two counts of common nuisance, criminal harassment and false fire alarm. Issa was scheduled to appear in a Toronto court Wednesday morning.

Mustafe Mohamed, 21, of Toronto turned himself into police Wednesday afternoon. He has been charged with mischief and damage to property not exceeding $5,000, common nuisance, criminal harassment and assault. Mohamed is scheduled to appear in a Toronto court Thursday morning.

Anyone with information is being asked to call police at 416-808-2300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.