If a kid gets pinched stealing a car, the penalties are paltry
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Isaiah Junger was marked for death and took a pair of bullets for his trouble near Lansdowne Ave. and Bloor St. W. in early February.
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The 18-year-old Mississauga man – a Montreal transplant – was set upon by a quartet. The coda was two bullets with Junger on the losing end.
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Four individuals have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. They are Hassan Farhat, 19, Fadel Naim, 19, and Dan Hakizimana, 19, of Ottawa.
And … tuh dum … a 17-year-old male youth. Farhat, Naim and the youth are all from Montreal.
Over the past several years, from carjackings to homicides, too frequently an underage youth is a player.
In Charles Dickens’ iconic novel, Oliver Twist, an older crook named Fagin had a small army of young boys under his auspices carrying out his criminal activities. And like the Dickensian Fagin, modern street gangs have unleashed a chilling youth movement.
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A big part of the reason is that if a kid gets pinched stealing a car, the penalties are paltry. Gangbangers know it. Their youthful soldiers know it. And cops, they know it all too well.
“This has been happening with organized crime for years, the difference now is the level of violence,” one Toronto Police investigator told the Sun, asking that he not be named.
“They pay the kids, especially underprivileged kids, to steal the vehicles but it’s the adult criminals who make the real money by shipping the cars overseas.”
Earlier this week, cops laid 54 charges against three suspects in connection with a widespread carjacking investigation. The probe concluded with a smash-up derby takedown with the trio smashing several police vehicles in their bid to escape.
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Cops seized guns and $18,000 in the bust.
A victim was exiting a blue BMW X5 in a parking lot when a white SUV parked behind them. Three male – stylishly dressed in all-black clothing and masks – emerged from the SUV, approached the BMW and demanded the keys. A gun was the convincer.
The team tried it again several hours later when they set upon the owner of a white 2021 Lamborghini Urus. Cops say the owner was battered, his keys were lifted before one fled in the Lambo.
Facing a slew of charges are Mehkash Sohal, 19, of Mississauga, Daquon Green, also 19, of Oakville and …. a 17-year-old Oshawa boy from Oshawa who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The two adults, of course, were charged with breaching their release orders.
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On Feb. 22, the young bloods were again on a roll, this time in Brampton, an armed carjacking and stabbing.
One of the alleged culprits is an 11-year-old girl.
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The kids lured a victim to a deserted Brampton High School parking lot. The target exited his vehicle and was swarmed with the youths demanding his car keys at knifepoint.
He was hit in the head and stabbed in the leg.
Besides the 11-year-old, a 13-year-old Mississauga girl and a 16-year-old Brampton boy were charged with robbery and assault causing bodily harm. Detectives are also looking for a 17-year-old boy.
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In northwest Toronto, a delivery man was robbed of his vehicle. A man, 18, and a …15-year-old boy were arrested. And, of course, none of the names are being released because of the Youth Justice Act.
“That’s the youth justice system. They have these kids boosting cars, selling drugs, robbing stores and if they get caught, the punishment is laughable – if they get punished at all,” the detective said.
He added: “It’s like season one of The Wire with vehicles instead of drugs.”
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