8 girls, including 3 13-year-olds, accused of fatally stabbing man during fight over liquor bottle

TORONTO (TCD) -- Eight teenage girls were arrested earlier this week after they allegedly "swarmed" a 59-year-old man and stabbed him to death.

According to Toronto Police Det. Sgt. Terry Browne, on Sunday, Dec. 18, just after midnight, emergency medical officials were flagged down by individuals reporting an assault near York Street and University Avenue. Paramedics began treating the man, then realized he had suffered stab wounds. They transported him to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Browne did not publicly identify the victim because Toronto Police are still working on notifying next of kin. The victim reportedly recently moved into a shelter, but Browne did not identify the man as homeless. Instead, he described the victim as falling on "hard luck."

Toronto Police identified eight teens as the suspects in the stabbing and took them into custody on second-degree murder charges. The suspects are three 13-year-olds, three 14-year-olds, and two 16-year-olds.

Browne said the girls reportedly met on social media and came to downtown Toronto from "varying parts of the city" at around 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 17. They are believed to have been involved in another altercation that night as well.

He said at the press conference, "They would be easily identifiable because these interactions would be identified as criminal behavior."

Browne did not identify the girls as a gang but did describe them as being involved in "a swarming type of behavior."

Three of the teens have had prior contact with the police.

Browne told The Canadian Press, "It’s our belief that their purpose was to remove property from him and a companion that he was with. It’s our belief it was a liquor bottle."

He added, "During that altercation, they used a sort of group gathering to attack the victim."

In an interview with The Associated Press, Browne said, "Anyone who isn’t shocked with hearing something like this has clearly just thrown in the towel and just said that anything is possible in this world. Eight young girls and most under the age of 16. If this isn’t alarming and shocking to everyone, then we’re all in trouble, quite frankly."

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