People in the Bloor and Bathurst Street areas are worried after four swarmings in the area on St. Patrick's Day night, with one person suffering a serious stab wound to the chest as a result.
"A swarming and a stabbing? It's just not like this area at all," resident Kurt Smeaton told CTV Toronto as he played with his dog in a schoolyard at Bathurst and Harbord Streets on Wednesday.
The swarmings were reported to police between 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Police have a vague description of the suspects but investigators think the incidents might be connected, said Staff Sgt. Clayton Adams from 14 Division.
"The investigation is heading that way," he told ctvtoronto.ca.
In one incident, at least six suspects robbed a group of men cutting through the schoolyard of Central Tech, near Bloor and Bathurst Streets at around 11:15 p.m.
A 21-year-old man was stabbed in the kidneys during the attack. He was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries but he is now in hospital in stable condition, Adams said.
Two of his friends were also attacked -- one was pepper sprayed and the other was hit in the head with a hard object -- but they are also expected to recover from their injuries.
There are no suspects in custody but police say they are waiting to retrieve images from several surveillance cameras placed around the school's property.
Other swarmings took place on Lippincott Street, on Spadina Road near Bloor Street and at the corner of Bloor and Christie Streets, Adams told ctvtoronto.ca.
"It was definitely a busy night," he said.
Adams said the police also had to deal with a number of domestic assaults.
"It must have been all that drinking," he said, referring to the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
It was also a violent night in the east end of the city. Several fist fights were reported in 55 Division. One fight involved at least 10 people.
Police say one person was struck with a bottle at a Danforth Avenue restaurant and another man was left unconscious after getting into a melee near Victoria Park Avenue and Queen Street East.
One man is in hospital in stable condition after he was shot in the stomach in a Flemingdon Park highrise. The shooting occurred at around 10:30 p.m. at 35 St. Dennis Dr.
Several people were seen fleeing the apartment but police arrested three suspects near the building and a fourth suspect a short distance away from the crime scene. A gun was also seized. Authorities say they are looking for a fifth suspect.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin
