Latest news with #Gta
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
‘Planned from the get-go': Gunmen and driver guilty in murder of Toronto boy Dante Andreatta, 12
Four-and-a-half years ago, 12-year-old Dante Andreatta was walking with his mother in the middle of the afternoon on a North York sidewalk when he was hit in the neck by a stray bullet that wasn't intended for him. He died in hospital a few days later. On Saturday, after five days of deliberations, a Toronto jury found three men guilty of first-degree murder in a death that shocked the city for its senselessness. The two gunmen and getaway driver were also found guilty of five counts of attempted murder for opening fire on a carload of teenagers, wounding three of them. The verdicts mean jurors accepted the prosecution's theory that the broad daylight shooting on Nov. 7, 2020 was planned and deliberate. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The trio drove a stolen car to 25 Stong Court, north of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, wearing gloves and masks. They were armed with fully loaded extended magazines. The gunmen waited, watched, and flanked the teens' car together, and, when it pulled away, they chased together and fired 18 shots each at the fleeing vehicle. 'This was a planned murder,' Crown attorney Arian Khader told the jury in his closing address. Gta 'Sometimes I think my 12 years with Dante were a dream': A Toronto father on life after his child's senseless murder Six weeks after his killing, 12-year-old Dante Andreatta Marroquin's room is much as he left it; his soccer net is still in the drive. 'Sometimes Gta 'Sometimes I think my 12 years with Dante were a dream': A Toronto father on life after his child's senseless murder Six weeks after his killing, 12-year-old Dante Andreatta Marroquin's room is much as he left it; his soccer net is still in the drive. 'Sometimes Jurors rejected the testimony of Rashawn Chambers and Jahwayne Smart, both 29. The cousins told the jury they went to 25 Stong Court to do a drug rip-off. They said they had no plans to use the loaded handguns they routinely carried as drug dealers. Cjay Hobbs, 32, did not testify at trial, but admitted he aided them by driving them to and from the crime; he is already serving a life sentence for murder. Their plans changed, Chambers and Smart claimed, when one of the five teens in the car flashed a pistol. Chambers and Smart said they went into self-defence mode and sprayed the teens' Honda with 36 rounds as the driver attempted to flee the apartment parking lot; his quick actions averted what would have 'been a massacre,' Khader told jurors. It was only at trial that then-teen Deshaun Daley, who is now 22, said for the first time that he indeed did pull a gun from his waistband. (He and the car's other occupants were not the intended target of the purported drug rip-off. They were hanging out, rolling joints and waiting for ice cream to be delivered. Daley, however, is currently serving a prison sentence for gun possession.) ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Khader told the jury Chambers, Smart and Daley all lied in court. The defendants were trying to absolve themselves from blame. Daley lied because he 'was scared for his life. He was shot four times and almost died,' said Khader, who prosecuted the case with veteran Patrick Clement. 'There was no gun, they weren't provoked it is what it looks like: a cold-blooded murder,' Khader said. He urged the jury to study surveillance videos that captured the two men chasing and firing their guns at the Honda as it pulled away. 'Neither of them are reacting to something scary,' the prosecutor said, 'this was planned from the get-go.' Surveillance footage from Nov. 7, 2020, shows the shooting that killed 12-year-old bystander Dante Andreatta, who was out walking with his mom on the far sidewalk of Jane Street, in North York. The video shows gunmen Rashawn Chambers and Jahwayne Smart opening fire on a car containing five teens. At trial, Chambers and Smart have testified they fired in response to a gun being waved in their direction. He also explained the concept of 'transferred intent.' Smart and Chambers did not need to have the intent to kill Andreatta in order to be found guilty of murder. If Smart or Chambers were trying to kill someone in the Honda, and in doing so accidentally killed the boy, they are guilty of murder, Khader said. The jury retired to deliberate midday Tuesday after listening to Superior Court Justice Joan Barrett's 300-page charge. Dante Andreatta, 12, was shot by a stray bullet while out walking with his mom. He died in hospital on Nov. 11, 2020. GoFundMe Khader also told jurors in his closing address that their job was not to find the motive. Nor are prosecutors permitted to 'speculate' on one. Nonetheless, Khader noted that many 'senseless' murders happen in Toronto, sometimes over mistaken identity. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'There is no rationalizing murder,' Khader said as the defendants hunched forward in the prisoner box. He didn't mention that many homicides and shootings in Toronto involve complex gang dynamics and that acts of violence are rarely random and often stem from escalating cycles of retaliation, fear and long-standing rivalries. Some perceived disputes stretch back decades and, increasingly, have grown to involve innocent victims targeted for no reason other than where they live. The teen driver of the Honda was aware of this. He told police that while he and his friends sat in the Honda, he noticed a car entering the parking lot and packed with men 'masked up.' 'People do that stuff, they shoot innocent people.' If the jury accepted the defence claim the pair acted in self-defence, they could have been acquitted. Defence lawyers also asked jurors to consider the defence of provocation — because of the purported gun that Daley pointed — and find them guilty of manslaughter. In court, Smart testified he was shot multiple times when he was 14, lying in bed in Regent Park; seeing a gun made him panic and freak out. 'I went after the car with a mix of fear and anger, and seeing red.' Gta Toronto gunman says he's 'ashamed and sad' 12-year-old Dante Andreatta was killed by stray bullet It was fight or flight, gunman Jahwayne Smart explained in court on Tuesday. 'I didn't want to Chambers was nearby when Smart, his cousin, was shot. He also 'freaked out and lost control,' his lawyer, Monte MacGregor, argued in his closing address. MacGregor, who specializes in murder cases, was co-counsel with Amanda Warth. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW What the jury didn't hear The trial began about a month ago. In the early days, defence lawyer Richard Posner, who represented Smart, produced a copy of a text the juror sent to someone saying, 'They going down.' The judge gave the sheepish juror a stern rebuke before dismissing him. Closing arguments sparked legal clashes after Posner suggested a bullet fired from Smart's gun couldn't have possibly killed the little boy, and that his criminal record supports that he isn't violent. The judge instructed jurors to disregard the suggestion that Chambers' gun fired the killing shot, saying no determination could be made. She denied a prosecution request, however, that the jury learn of Smart's previous conviction for manslaughter because of the way Posner had portrayed his client. Jurors also did not hear that the three were suspects in two other shootings in the days leading up to Nov. 7, one in Brantford, Ont., — where the targeted person was affiliated with the Driftwood Crips; the other at 390 Driftwood Ave., about a three-minute drive from 25 Stong Court. (Charges laid against Chambers, Hobbs and Smart in the Brantford shooting were withdrawn; no charges were laid in the shooting at 390 Driftwood.) The defendants were faced with overwhelming evidence collected by Toronto police that forced Chambers and Smart to admit they were the shooters. It included extensive surveillance footage, digital evidence, Chamber's fingerprint on the Honda they used to get to and from the crime scene, and the fact Chambers and Smart were arrested outside a downtown Canadian Tire with the murder weapons. (Smart didn't concede his ID, however, until midway through the trial.) Their concession meant that prosecutors put in much of the evidence via an agreed statement of facts. In 2023, a jury convicted Hobbs of second-degree murder for his role in the daylight shooting of Dimarjio Jenkins in Toronto's entertainment district on May 26, 2020. The rising star in Toronto's underground rap scene performed as the Houdini, often featuring on songs with other rappers based out of the Driftwood area north of Jane and Finch. Similar to this case, Hobbs was the getaway driver; the shooter has never been identified. Khader, who prosecuted both cases, called the killing of 21-year-old Jenkins an 'orchestrated assassination.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Gta Getaway driver — also accused in killing of 12-year-old boy — guilty in murder of rising Toronto rap star Houdini The verdict came on the third anniversary of the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Dante Andreatta Marroquin. Driver Cjay Hobbs is still facing a Gta Getaway driver — also accused in killing of 12-year-old boy — guilty in murder of rising Toronto rap star Houdini The verdict came on the third anniversary of the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Dante Andreatta Marroquin. Driver Cjay Hobbs is still facing a Hobbs testified at that trial that he was on Blue Jays Way near King Street waiting to sell a kilogram of cocaine with another man who opened fire when he realized they were about to be robbed. He did not take the stand at this just-completed trial where he was represented by Craig Zeeh. The jury heard only a passing mention to Smart's brother, Jahvante Smart, the rapper Smoke Dawg. In June 2018, he was murdered in a chaotic daylight double killing on Queen Street West by a gunman who grew up in the same Driftwood neighbourhood where Andreatta would be shot two years later. Gta Gunman guilty of double murder in Queen St. killing of popular Toronto rapper Smoke Dawg Abdulkadir Handule, 26, has been convicted on two counts of second-degree murder for killing Jahvante Smart and Ernest Modekwe in a shocking Gta Gunman guilty of double murder in Queen St. killing of popular Toronto rapper Smoke Dawg Abdulkadir Handule, 26, has been convicted on two counts of second-degree murder for killing Jahvante Smart and Ernest Modekwe in a shocking Four of the five teens shot in the Stong Court parking lot came to court and testified. The driver did not. He died from a drug overdose. The 12-year-old victim's name was rarely mentioned in the course of evidence. Family members attended court daily and sobbed quietly when video surveillance of the shooting played in court. On Nov. 7, 2020, around 2 p.m., Karla Marroquin and her son were walking northbound on the west side of Jane Street, north of Finch Avenue W. They were coming from the FreshCo at the Jane and Finch Mall. When they reached Stong Court, Marroquin heard a noise that sounded like fireworks. Bullets were flying and she felt a 'burning' on her back. She turned and saw Dante on the ground. He had been hit in the neck by a stray bullet. She called 911 and put her hands over his neck to try to control the bleeding, she told police in a recorded statement. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW He was rushed to SickKids Hospital where he died on Nov. 11. Punishment for a first-degree murder conviction is an automatic life sentence with no parole eligibility for 25 years. Sentencing is set for July 3.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Toronto Star
‘Reeling': Family of three children killed in Hwy. 401 crash releases statement, plans funeral
Relatives of the three siblings who died after a 19-year-old man allegedly driving drunk lost control on a Highway 401 off-ramp and crashed into their car are 'still reeling' from the loss, the Laviña-Galve family says. 'Although we remain utterly devastated, we are now in the process of planning the funeral for our three dear children, which is something no parent should ever have to endure,' the family said in a statement through their lawyer Friday. The deaths of 15-year-old Ramone Jaiden Laviña, 13-year-old Jace Evan Laviña and six-year-old Mya Ava Laviña are an 'unimaginable tragedy,' the family said, adding they are grateful to the first responders, hospital staff and community members who stepped in. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Gta 'Those kids were her world': Three children killed in Highway 401 crash involving allegedly impaired driver A long-time family friend confirmed the identity of the family after getting a call from the children's father with the shocking news. Gta 'Those kids were her world': Three children killed in Highway 401 crash involving allegedly impaired driver A long-time family friend confirmed the identity of the family after getting a call from the children's father with the shocking news. It happened shortly after midnight Sunday, May 18 when driver Ethan Lehouillier allegedly lost control on a Highway 401 off-ramp and crashed into the Chrysler Pacifica carrying the family, Toronto police said. Lehouillier has been charged with three counts of impaired operation causing death, impaired operation causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. The deaths of the three Laviña children are an 'unimaginable tragedy,' the family said. Laviña-Galve family The father, who was not in the car, told a family friend that only one of his four children, age 10, survived. The child suffered a broken arm, broken collarbone and numerous cuts and bruises to his face, the family friend previously said. The children's mother was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital following the crash, suffering several broken ribs and a severe concussion, along with other injuries. A publication ban protecting the identities of the three siblings who died on May 18 was lifted Thursday, Toronto lawyer Samarra D'Souza said. The family added they are aware that the driver is facing impaired driving charges but said they cannot comment further while the case is before the court. A GoFundMe set up by a family friend in the wake of the crash has raised more than $234,000 for the family as of Friday. The children's funeral will be held on June 14 in Scarborough. With files from Jason Miller, Anastasia Blosser and Joyce Li
Toronto Star
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Toronto servers hate it when diners do these 10 things. Here's how we can be better customers
Boorish diners are on the rise, according to some Toronto servers. 'There is definitely an increase in people that forget that servers are humans,' says Danna (last name withheld), a server at Wynona, an Italian restaurant in the east end. 'I've found with all the technological advances and all the isolation that happened during COVID, people have forgotten how to interact with others. Nowadays, we are mostly making reservations online and getting email or text confirmations and there is no human interaction until you enter the restaurant. These simple and basic forms of etiquette are being thrown out the window, which makes restaurant staff feel like servants versus skilled professionals that curate a specific experience.' We spoke to servers and bartenders from across Toronto about their biggest customer pet peeves — and how we Torontonians can become better diners. Gta They remember your order — and your name. Meet five of Toronto's most beloved servers, bartenders and baristas From heartfelt moments to legendary stories, here's why these five Toronto servers, bartenders, and baristas are hard to forget. Gta They remember your order — and your name. Meet five of Toronto's most beloved servers, bartenders and baristas From heartfelt moments to legendary stories, here's why these five Toronto servers, bartenders, and baristas are hard to forget. PET PEEVE: Calling for a reservation the same day THIS ONE TIME… When same-day reservation requests are denied, one popular last-minute wheedling tactic is claiming to know the owner. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Never say you know the owner. Guess what? So do I. And neither of us want to bring them into this,' says Maxwell Johnston, a bartender at Grazie Ristorante in midtown. BEHAVE BETTER 'If you don't have a reservation but show up and they don't have space, most times it's worth sticking around. Reservation times are always overestimated on purpose so we can keep our word and deliver quality service,' he says. 'The line usually goes fast, but you can't be mad when it doesn't. Pro tip: ask for a drink from the bar while you wait.' Nikita, bartender at The Cottage Cheese in Kensington Market, says rude comments about prices can make things awkward. Michelle Mengsu Chang Toronto St PET PEEVE: Complaining about prices THIS ONE TIME... 'A guest looked at the cocktail menu and literally said, '$18? What's in that, liquid gold?' recalls Nikita (last name withheld), a bartender at The Cottage Cheese, an Indian restaurant in Kensington Market. 'I get it — things are more expensive these days — but comments like that make things awkward for servers.' BEHAVE BETTER 'If it's out of your budget, totally fine, just don't be rude about it. There's usually something for everyone,' she says. PE T PEEVE: Venting online instead of speaking up during the meal THIS ONE TIME... 'I feel like there is this power people feel when they know they can leave a bad review but pretend they had a good time in the moment,' she says. 'The worst is when you say everything is good and you leave and we get a negative review the next day or next week and we wish we had known since we have the power to make your experience better.' BEHAVE BETTER 'If a server is checking in on your meal and asking if you are enjoying yourself, please give real feedback,' she says. 'If there is something wrong, we are more than willing to fix it and ensure you have a great experience.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW PET PEEVE: Disrespecting the space THIS ONE TIME... 'Taking apart and breaking our curated antique decorations, moving tables without permission, vaping or openly doing drugs at the bar, going behind the bar to get the bartender's attention? It should be pretty clear, even to a drunk person, that these actions are completely unacceptable and yet they're committed quite often at my workplace,' says Jakob Brull, bartender and bar manager at The Comrade in Riverside. 'The funny part is that people like this are always offended at our frustration which is weird. People will literally look me in the face and say, 'Hey, take it easy! We didn't know we weren't allowed to play with the decorations and do a line of coke off the bar in front of everybody' and these people are the same age as my parents. Crazy.' BEHAVE BETTER 'Take a quick moment to think to yourself, 'Is this truly an appropriate way to act in this environment right now?' Sometimes, the answer might shock you,' he says. Oh — and never, ever throw up in the sink. 'My staff and I have to spend all night unclogging the sink with an oyster fork and then fishing out the vomit in a litre container. It is freakin' disgusting and it pisses everyone involved off because it is such an avoidable scenario.' Gta It's harder than ever to get a reservation at Toronto's hottest restaurants — these ones in particular High demand, limited seats, and viral buzz are making it tougher than ever to get into Toronto's most popular restaurants. Gta It's harder than ever to get a reservation at Toronto's hottest restaurants — these ones in particular High demand, limited seats, and viral buzz are making it tougher than ever to get into Toronto's most popular restaurants. PET PEEVE: Lying about allergies THIS ONE TIME... Dreyfus server Peter Alexandropoulos remembers when a guest claimed to have a variety of allergies, saying they couldn't eat a single item on the menu without modification. 'We made them a really nice menu, only for me to catch them trying food from the table they said they were allergic to,' he says. 'Out of concern, I ran over to stop them from eating something that might make them sick, only for them to tell me 'I'm not actually allergic to this stuff, I just try to avoid it.' Insane behaviour.' BEHAVE BETTER 'Use the correct language when discussing your food restrictions with a server. Use the word aversion if you just don't want it, and only use the word allergy if you mean it. Many steps are taken in a kitchen to prepare the cooking area for a guest with a severe allergy. It slows things down, and stresses a kitchen,' he says. 'Nobody wants to make anyone sick, and this can really ruin a restaurant's reputation, so it is taken very seriously.' Gta Would you pay $41 for roasted cauliflower? What this status menu item says about eating out in Toronto now The rising cost of dining out is changing how Torontonians eat, spend and think about value. Gta Would you pay $41 for roasted cauliflower? What this status menu item says about eating out in Toronto now The rising cost of dining out is changing how Torontonians eat, spend and think about value. PET PEEVE: Camping ou t long after the bill has been paid THIS ONE TIME... 'Tables and bars are a restaurant's main resource, especially in peak hours,' says Preston (last name withheld), a bartender at Paris Texas on King West. 'When guests linger long after they've finished eating and paid the bill, it slows down table turnover, cuts into the server's ability to make tips, and prevents other guests from being seated.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW BEHAVE BETTER Be aware of your timing, Preston says: if it's a slow afternoon or you're told you can hang out, that's one thing. But during dinner rushes or brunch hours, lingering too long can be a problem. 'Enjoy your meal, tip well, and be considerate of the restaurant's flow. If you want to keep socializing, consider moving to the bar or ordering another round, if the table isn't immediately needed. Better yet, head to a nearby café or lounge after dinner.' Peter at Dreyfus says pretending you're allergic when you're not is a pet peeve that makes life harder for the kitchen staff. Richard Lautens Toronto Star PET PEEVE: B ringing your laptop or coffee cup to the dinner table THIS ONE TIME... 'I'm sorry, but you should not be flipping open the laptop at a restaurant,' Alexandropoulos says. 'Next to you might be sat a couple who has been looking forward to this night out for weeks, and your laptop is really killing the vibe. Little solo brunch at a bistro is a different story, but when did we decide this was ok to do at the dinner table?' BEHAVE BETTER 'If you must work, excuse yourself and take it outside,' Alexandropoulos says. And just leave the coffee cup at home. Otherwise? 'I get very excited to go up to a table and take their coffee away.' PET PEEVE: Obnoxiously trying to get your server's attention THIS ONE TIME... 'I once had a guy snap me over, only to follow that up with a whistle the next time he needed my attention,' Alexandropoulos says. 'The best part is, the table right next to them were the ones that had a huge problem with that. Their conversation escalated into a full-blown screaming match, and the other guest essentially told this guy that he needed to pay his bill and leave, which he did.' BEHAVE BETTER 'Your server is probably busy if they have not come over to help you with something. If it's a big spot, or it's very busy, a little lean and hand up around shoulder height is the move,' Alexandropoulos says. 'If you need to make a sound, that sound should be 'excuse me.'' PET PEEVE: Not cancelling reservations you don't need THIS ONE TIME... 'We had a group make a reservation for 12 people for 7 p.m. that, without any communication, didn't show up until after we were closed. The business made no money off this and because we didn't seat anyone at their table due to the reservation, we had to turn potential paying customers away,' Brull says. 'That one reservation cost the bar hundreds of dollars in losses and it's even more frustrating since this could be avoided with a mere cancellation or phone call. Since there were no sales, there were no tips, so it hit especially deep for the staff.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW BEHAVE BETTER 'Just communicate with us. It's very simple,' Brull says. 'Every reservation platform has an option to cancel and most bars and restaurants have a phone line and employ a host for this exact purpose. We all understand that plans change and all, but not showing up with no warning costs the establishment and its workers a lot of money and is generally lazy and inconsiderate.' PET PEEVE: Being on your phone while ordering THIS ONE TIME... 'Someone once tried to order a full round of drinks while holding their phone to their ear and shushing me mid-sentence,' Nikita says. 'It's frustrating and honestly kind of rude; it slows everything down for everyone.' BEHAVE BETTER 'Just take 30 seconds to place your order properly,' she says. 'We'll all move faster and smoother that way.'
Toronto Star
23-05-2025
- Toronto Star
Is this the most hated speed camera in Toronto? A timeline of the Parkside speed camera
At the edge of High Park, along a busy strip of a four-lane road, stands one of Toronto's most enduring mysteries. Or at least, it used to stand. Sometime Thursday night or Friday morning, the Parkside Drive speed camera was cut down yet again for the fifth time in the last six months. The camera is Toronto's busiest, the source of more than 65,000 tickets and $7 million for the city since it was installed three years ago. Toronto police have been investigating the vandalism for months; there are still no updates to their investigation, they told the Star on Friday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Whoever is doing it is determined. Here's a timeline of each time the camera has been knocked down. Gta Who keeps cutting down the Parkside Drive speed camera? Our man on the beat investigates Raju Mudhar On or before Nov. 17, 2024 This iteration of the camera — hoisted beside the Parkside Drive roadway on a small metal poll — appeared to be sawed at its base and was found lying on its side. It had been installed in April 2022. Nov. 29-30, 2024 Just hours after it was reinstalled, the camera was felled again — in the same way — late on the Friday evening or early Saturday morning. Around 2:30 a.m., Dec. 29, 2024 A video, taken around 2:30 a.m. in the week after Christmas, shows a shadowy figure sawing at the pole. As sounds of a saw rattle through the neighbourhood and sparks fly, the camera tips over with a thud. A nearby resident shared a video with Star of someone sawing down the now-infamous speed camera around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2024. As of April 19, the camera has been cut down four times within the past five months. By morning, the camera had been dragged about 200 metres to its final resting place: the middle of the High Park Duck Pond. The Parkside speed camera, cut down in the early hours of Dec. 29, is seen floating in the High Park Duck Pond. Michelle Mengsu Chang/ Toronto Star April 18-19, 2025 After standing for more than three months, the camera was felled again. It had been redesigned, with a cubic metal casing around the pole. At the top, an L-shaped pole jutted out, holding the camera. This time, the vandal cut the L-shaped portion of the pole. The Parkside speed camera on April 19. Nick Lachance/ Toronto Star May 22-23, 2025 The camera was reinstalled in mid-May with the same design as before. It didn't last long. It was cut down sometime Thursday night or Friday morning. 'It's just Groundhog Day,' said Faraz Gholizadeh, co-chair of the community group Safe Parkside. 'It's very frustrating and extremely disappointing that the city is just not acting on this issue, even despite everything that's happened to get us here.'
Toronto Star
23-05-2025
- Toronto Star
‘Those kids were her world': Three children killed in Highway 401 crash involving allegedly impaired driver
A Toronto woman has lost 'her world' as she struggles in hospital to recover from injuries after an alleged drunk driver struck her family's car, killing three of her children aged 15, 13 and six. Family friend Ervin Garcia, who confirmed the identities of the family, got a call from the children's father on Sunday afternoon with the shocking news. It happened shortly after midnight Sunday when a 19-year-old allegedly lost control on a Highway 401 off-ramp and crashed into the Chrysler Pacifica carrying the family, Toronto police said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Ethan Lehouillier has been charged with three counts of impaired operation causing death, impaired operation causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. When Garcia heard from his friend, 'I just literally stopped dead in the middle of the street. 'I was in the Esplanade area (downtown Toronto) and a million drivers must have been honking at me,' he said. 'I was overcome with grief. I had to pull over a couple of times.' The father, who was not in the car, told Garcia that only one of his four children, age 10, survived. The child suffered a broken arm, broken collarbone and numerous cuts and bruises to his face, Garcia said. The identities of the family are now covered under a court-ordered publication ban. The children's mother, who was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital following the crash, suffered several broken ribs and a severe concussion, along with other injuries. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'She's in a very severe amount of pain,' Garcia said. 'Those kids were her world, as much as they were (their father's).' Gta 'A family is torn apart': Three children killed after vehicle struck by allegedly impaired driver on Highway 401 near Etobicoke Anastasia Blosser, Joyce Li, Jason Miller A man who is a family friend was also seriously injured in the crash. Garcia said he and several other friends rushed to SickKids to be with the father and son. 'It's a miracle he survived,' Garcia said of his godson, whom he said was up and trying to walk with the assistance of his father when he arrived at the hospital. Police allege that the Georgetown man was driving a minivan at a high rate of speed when he lost control on the off-ramp, drove over a raised median on Renforth Drive and crashed into the vehicle, which was stopped at a red light. The 15 and 13-year-olds were pronounced dead at the scene. The six-year-old was rushed to hospital but later died. The crash happened shortly after midnight Sunday when a 19-year-old allegedly lost control on a Highway 401 off-ramp and crashed into the Chrysler Pacifica carrying the family, Toronto police said. @freetorcam / X Garcia said his busy schedule has limited his ability to see the children as often as he would've liked in recent years, but he has kept in close contact with their father. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The two worked together for several years doing brick and stone masonry work on residential and commercial buildings, he added. Garcia, 36, has known both parents since they were in their mid-teens and said he and the father, now in his mid-30s, developed their bond playing basketball in the Scarborough Filipino community leagues. A GoFundMe, set up by another family friend, has already raised more than $96,000 in support of the bereaved family. While Garcia said he is thankful for the outpouring of support, the heavy toll of the crash is immeasurable and 'we could raise $10 million and it would never replace those kids.' A note posted to the GoFundMe reads that the family requests 'assistance to help them navigate this dark hour be it through donation or spreading awareness for them.' The scene of the fatal crash. @freetorcam / X The Toronto Catholic District School Board confirmed that all four children are students with the board. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We are heartbroken by this loss, which will be felt deeply throughout our entire school community,' a TCDSB spokesperson said in an email to the Star. The email also said that mental health and faith-based supports will be available to students and staff beginning Tuesday, including social work and psychology teams. 'In light of the ongoing police investigation, and out of respect for the family and our grieving school communities, our focus remains on offering support, care, and prayer for all those affected by this unimaginable tragedy.' Garcia said he's 'angry with the suspect,' for what was a 'reckless and totally preventable crash.' 'These are three children's lives that were taken away from them,' he said. 'They were never able to fulfil their full potential in life.'
