Toronto Police have released the name and security camera image of an “armed and dangerous” suspect in Thursday’s mall shooting incident. Zion Sankar-Beharry, 20, is wanted in an investigation involving the discharge of a firearm “with intent” at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, according to a police statement released Friday. “If located, do not approach,” the statement says. Sankar-Beharry was last seen in the Warden Avenue and Steeles Avenue East area in Markham, Ont., north-east of the Toronto mall. The shopping centre was evacuated Thursday afternoon after shots rang out during the busy back-to-school shopping season. It is alleged that two groups of males had an altercation and two shots were fired in the southeast corner of the mall near a Starbucks. The suspects fled toward the Yorkdale TTC station as hundreds rushed from the building. Two bystanders suffered minor injuries during the chaos, but no other injuries were reported.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Toronto police say they’re looking for multiple suspects after an altercation broke out inside a crowded Yorkdale Mall and shots were fired. “There was an altercation between two groups of men. At some point, one of the individuals from one of the groups discharged a firearm at least twice,” Supt. Rob Johnson told reporters late Thursday afternoon. Police said emergency crews were called to the north-end mall at around 2:50 p.m. with reports of the sounds of gunshots. Johnson said the incident happened in the southeast corner of the mall near a café and the security office. He said two male suspects were last seen leaving an exit in the same part of the mall. Story continues below advertisement No one was hit by the gunfire, but Johnson said two people received minor injuries while exiting the mall. “Anytime a firearm is discharged it’s problematic. Thankfully nobody was hit in this,” he said. Johnson said Toronto police officers were able to respond quickly since the service has an office at the mall. Witnesses described a chaotic scene inside the mall in the moments after the shots were fired. “Originally we just thought it was a fire alarm testing. … Within five minutes they said it’s pretty serious. The doors are all being locked and that we had to kind of stay below the windows — so it was frightening,” Nella Stabropoulos said. “There was people crying in there — vomiting, literally. I guess with what’s happening in the city, you just don’t know where you’re safe anymore.” Story continues below advertisement Multiple witness accounts place shooting in between the @YorkdaleStyle Starbucks and Samsung stores. What people heard and saw coming up @globalnewsto pic.twitter.com/3GaaB0Gcz9 — Jamie Mauracher (@JamieMauracher) August 30, 2018 Mayor John Tory issued a written statement in response to the shooting, urging people with information to contact authorities. “Whether it is Yorkdale Mall or anywhere else in Toronto, people should not have to worry about gun violence breaking out – at any time,” he said. “There are too many guns available to criminals in the city and I am determined to end that with the help of our police and our government partners.” Following today’s incident, we will be closed for the rest of the day to allow police to investigate. Yorkdale is secure and we are cooperating with police to safely evacuate the centre. We expect to open as scheduled tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. All questions to: @TPSOperations — Yorkdale Style (@YorkdaleStyle) August 30, 2018 Yorkdale Mall said in an update on Twitter that the mall will be closed for the rest of the day for the police investigation. It’s expected the mall will reopen on Friday. The TTC suspended subway train service at Yorkdale station after the incident, but service resumed at around 6 p.m. Anyone with information, or photos or videos from inside the mall, is being asked to call police at 416-808-3200. — With files from Ryan Rocca Hundreds were outside of @YorkdaleStyle after it was evacuated due to shots fired. Thankfully, no injuries. Many though, shaken up @globalnewsto pic.twitter.com/ujGCKhBoWl — Jamie Mauracher (@JamieMauracher) August 30, 2018 Update: Yorkdale Shopping Centre is in lockdown. Nobody being let in. People being assisted to leave. Officers canvassing for witnesses and video from witnesses, mall and stores. No injuries. East side of mall is location of incident. More info to follow #GO1605887 ^sm — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) August 30, 2018 Sounds of gunshots @yorkdalestyle Officers have confirmed a discharge in the area. Mall is being evacuated. Avoid the area @TPS32Div 1605887 ^ma — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) August 30, 2018 Line 1: Regular service has resumed at Yorkdale. — TTC Service Alerts (@TTCnotices) August 30, 2018 Advertisement<doc-sep>Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre was locked down after gunfire rang out at the popular north-end mall Thursday afternoon. Police received "a number of 911 calls" shortly before 3 p.m. ET Thursday reporting a shooting, Supt. Rob Johnson told reporters at the scene Thursday evening. Investigators have determined that an altercation broke out between two groups of men in the southeast corner of the mall, he said. At one point, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired at least two shots. The men fled the scene, he said. Earlier, police tweeted that they were seeking two men in their 20s, one of whom may be carrying a handgun. Mall closed for the day "We are in the process of interviewing witnesses and looking for evidence," Johnson said. No one was injured as a result of the gunfire, he said. However, two people were treated for minor injuries trying to flee, he said. Earlier, paramedics said they transported one person to hospital for a medical issue unrelated to gunfire. The mall tweeted that it would be closed until Friday morning. "Yorkdale is secure and we are co-operating with police to safely evacuate the centre," the mall said. "We expect to open as scheduled tomorrow morning at 10 a.m." Johnson said officers helped employees get back into the mall to retrieve their belongings, and help managers lock up their stores for the night. Police are helping patrons leave the mall and are not letting anyone in. The mall will be closed for the rest of the day. (Paul Borkwood/CBC) CBC News videographer Mary Webster was in the mall when she heard a loud bang, followed by a second. Patrons huddled in the back of the Roots store while someone set off an emergency alarm. "People were crying," Webster reported from the scene. Mall staff asked patrons to file into a hallway and then escorted them out through an underground parking lot, she said. Some patrons left all of their belongings behind. 'Was just a lot of chaos' Alexis Uiga and her daughter Samantha were having coffee together in the mall when they heard the shots. "We thought it was a balloon or something popping, it just didn't register what it was," Uiga told CBC News. Once they heard another shot they realized what was happening and hid under a ledge, she said. @CP24 @CBCToronto moment shooting at yorkdale mall happened inside Tesla. pic.twitter.com/E2TJywS9Kn —@ShaunWinston "I had a little girl who got separated from who she was here with and she was just clenched on to me and another woman and her son were falling over me," Alexis said about the scramble to take cover. "It was just a lot of chaos then everything just went quiet and that was it." Alexis said all that was going through her mind was to protect her daughter and the strangers around her. "I can't describe it. I never thought I'd have been in the middle of a shooting," she said, adding all you can really do is "take cover, be quiet and just hope that you can get through it and get back home to your loved ones." Alexis Uiga and daughter Samantha were having coffee in the mall when they heard gunshots. (Paul Borkwood/CBC ) Another mall patron, Connie Chen, said she was "really terrified" when she heard two shots. "It was like a firecracker," she told CBC Toronto. "We saw people running and we started to run. The first sound was really loud." Natasha Narine, an employee at the MAC cosmetic store, said the mall was "very crowded" because it's the last week before school "and everybody is back to school shopping." Police have cordoned off the mall entrances and are evacuating the building. (Mary Webster/CBC) In a statement, Mayor John Tory said "people should not have to worry about gun violence," no matter where they are in the city. "There are too many guns available to criminals in the city and I am determined to end that with the help of our police and our government partners," he said. "I am relieved that there are no reports of injuries from gunfire and I hope that remains true."<doc-sep>TORONTO -- Police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a shooting at a busy Toronto mall. Toronto police say they arrested Zion Sankar-Beharry, 20, without incident Monday near Trenton, Ont. Police allege two groups of men had an altercation inside Yorkdale Shopping Centre around 2:50 p.m. Thursday when two shots were fired, which triggered pandemonium. The mall was evacuated and closed down as police combed the area for suspects. Sankar-Beharry faces 11 charges that include two counts of attempt murder along with numerous gun-related counts. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday morning.<doc-sep>
Send this page to someone via email Toronto police have identified a suspect after shots rang out inside Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall on Thursday. Police said emergency crews were called to the north-end mall at around 2:50 p.m. with reports of the sounds of gunshots. The incident happened in the southeast corner of the mall near a café and the security office. Police said two male suspects were last seen leaving an exit in the same part of the mall. No one was hit by the gunfire, but authorities said two people received minor injuries while exiting the mall. READ MORE: Yorkdale Mall closed after shots fired during altercation between 2 groups Video captured by witnesses at the scene showed shoppers running for cover. Story continues below advertisement Police said in an update Friday afternoon investigators are looking for 20-year-old Toronto resident Zion Sankar-Beharry in connection with the incident. Officers said the suspect, who is wanted for discharging a firearm with intent, was last seen on Thursday at around 5 p.m. near Warden Avenue and Steeles Avenue East. Investigators said Sankar-Beharry should be considered “armed and dangerous.” If anyone sees the suspect, they are encouraged to call 911. Meanwhile, the mall reopened to customers and employees on Friday. Janice Somersall-French, a Yorkdale employee who returned on Friday to retrieve her purse, said she was slightly apprehensive coming back. “Although it wasn’t a mass shooting for everybody, it just makes you realize that you can’t get too comfortable and that’s a shame because it’s a great mall,” Somersall-French said. “I didn’t want to come here. But I needed my purse, my car, so I had to come. But it’s like falling off a bike. If you don’t come back, you’ll never come back.” READ MORE: Yorkdale Shopping Centre makes appeal to have mall open on statutory holidays Anthony Gabrielli said he felt safe returning, although he did notice a much smaller crowd in the morning when doors opened. Story continues below advertisement “At first we really didn’t really know if we were going to come in today, like who knows what can happen. But at the same time, the city’s got to move forward and it’s Yorkdale. We know this place,” he said. “I don’t feel unsafe at all. It’s just a regular day. There’s just less people here. So you can get your shopping done faster.” A statement provided to Global News by a public relations firm representing the mall said Yorkdale officials will not be commenting further on the shooting. TPS have completed their investigation. Yorkdale will reopen tomorrow as usual at 10am. — Yorkdale Style (@YorkdaleStyle) August 31, 2018 –With files from Kamil Karamali