Toronto police have arrested the man alleged to have thrown feces at five people in three separate incidents.
The 23-year-old man was arrested in the area of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue on Tuesday at around 6 p.m.
Samuel Opoku is charged with five counts each of assault with a weapon and mischief interfere with property.
Opoku is scheduled to appear at a downtown Toronto courtroom at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
In a tweet Tuesday night, Toronto Mayor John Tory commended the arrest by Toronto Police.
“He can’t face justice or be given help until apprehended and it seems our police have that in hand,” said Tory. “I hope this arrest will help calm concern on campuses and across the city.”
Police previously said the latest incident of fecal throwing occurred at the University of Toronto campus on Monday night.
Officers were called to College Street, just west of University Avenue, shortly before midnight for reports that a bucket of feces was dumped on a woman walking down the street.
An orange bucket from Home Depot was left on the sidewalk, and officers were seen putting the bucket into a bag and taking it away.
“Once again, it was described to us as possibly being fecal matter,” Const. Victor Kwong with Toronto police told Global News on Tuesday.
“In last night’s event we were able to seize the bucket and that bucket right now is being tested forensically to find out what the contents actually were,” Kwong added.
The victim was assessed by paramedics but she was not taken to hospital.
Police said the suspect ran eastbound on College Street. The suspect is described as a tall man in his 30s with a medium build who was wearing a yellow construction hard hat, a blue shirt and gloves at the time of the reported assault.
This is the third reported incident of feces and urine being thrown in the last week.
Police said the first incident was reported on Friday at the University of Toronto‘s Robarts Research Library, and the second incident was reported two days later, on Sunday, at a York University‘s Scott Library.
In both incidents, students allege fecal matter was tossed at them, according to police.
Investigators said on Friday at around 5:20 p.m. the suspect entered the University of Toronto library and “poured the contents of a bucket he was carrying onto two unsuspecting people who were seated at a table in the library.”
Police said the contents inside the bucket is described as “liquefied fecal matter” for both incidents at the University of Toronto.
York University told Global News the incident at its institution happened at 5 p.m. Sunday when “an unknown male entered Scott Library and deposited a substance, suspected of containing fecal matter, on a student.”
The university’s security services responded to the incident, and the school has also reached out to the victim to offer support.
The police divisions in both areas are collaborating to confirm the details and determine whether the incidents are connected and if they may have involved the same suspect.
Police said they are looking at laying a number of charges, including assault.
“This is definitely a concern. When you’re walking around you don’t expect to get assaulted. That’s what this boils down to,” Kwong said. “This entire case is being investigated right now as an assault until we get further information.”
— With files from David Lao
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