Los Angeles police have arrested a suspect in connection with the North York slaying of a 20-year-old man back in January.
Hashim Omar Hashi was gunned down on Jan. 31 at 40 Falstaff Avenue, in the area of Jane Street and Highway 401.
According to police, Hashi was attempting to drive his car into the underground garage of an apartment building shortly before 9 p.m. when he was shot at numerous times. The vehicle then rolled and struck the closed garage doors.
Police found the 20-year-old’s body lifeless in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A suspect vehicle spotted fleeing east on Falstaff Avenue was later found fully engulfed in flames at Earl Bales Park near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue, investigators said.
About two weeks after the shooting, Toronto police arrested two people in connection with the killing.
They initially charged 22-year-old Hassan Ali, also known by the stage name Top5, with accessory after the fact to murder and failing to comply with probation after he was arrested in Windsor on Feb.13.
On May 20, police said that they had upgraded charges against Ali to first-degree murder, but they were having trouble locating him and issued a warrant for his arrest.
On Friday, police said that members of the LAPD arrested Ali in Los Angeles on Oct. 7 on a provisional American arrest warrant. He now faces charges of first-degree murder and three counts of failing to comply with recognizance.
Toronto man Emmanuel Missah, 24, was arrested back on Feb. 12 and is facing charges of accessory after the fact to murder and failing to comply with recognizance.
Ali’s social media accounts have remained active since the killing.
Toronto police said they would not be providing any further details on the case Friday.
The motive for Hashi’s killing remains unclear. Police have previously said that he had no known involvement with any criminal activity.
“Mr. Hashi was not involved in any gang activity nor was he involved in any gang affiliation,” Det. Sgt. Ted Lioumanis told reporters back on Feb. 6. “Mr. Hashi was a student studying accounting and worked part-time at the airport. He had a promising future and he was a very well-respected young man.”
