The top name on a new list of Canada’s most wanted violent fugitives was arrested just hours after the list – and a $250,000 reward - was made public.
On Oct. 13, 2021, 43-year-old Craig MacDonald was watching a Leafs game at a Boston Pizza in the Cinemart Drive and Milner Avenue area of Scarborough.
He reportedly got into an argument with a man at the restaurant, who allegedly waited for him in the parking lot and shot him to death.
Police identified the suspect in that incident as Abilaziz Mohamed.
On Tuesday morning, police and the nationwide BOLO program, in conjunction with some of Canada's largest police services, named Mohamed the number one fugitive on its new Canada’s Most Wanted list.
They also offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, available for the next six months.
By Tuesday evening, someone submitted an anonymous tip and Mohamed was arrested, Toronto police said.
“We hope this provides a small amount of closure for the victim's family,” Toronto Police Chief James Ramer said in a statement issued on Wednesday. “We work proudly and effectively with our BOLO partners and this successful arrest sends a clear message to those who continue to evade justice - you will be found.”
Mohamed faces one count of first-degree murder.
He appeared in court via video link at 1911 Eglinton Avenue East on Wednesday morning.
BOLO program director Max Langlois told CP24 the quick arrest is a sign the list will do its job and get violent fugitives off the streets.
"I want to thank citizens of the Greater Toronto Area for being on the lookout for Abilaziz Mohamed. This arrest not only makes communities of the GTA safer; it also allows the family of the victim to take their next step forward in this awful journey. The message to all outstanding BOLO fugitives is the following: The entire country is on the lookout for you. Call a lawyer. Call the police. Make arrangements to turn yourself in."
In a statement released on Thursday morning, MacDonald’s sister Drema MacDonald said that the arrest “won’t bring Craig back” but will allow her family “to take the next step forward in this most unfortunate journey.”
“For six months, I have been sharing the picture of the man wanted for my brother’s cruel and senseless murder. I have been searching for his face every place I go,” she said. “It’s so hard to deal with your loved one being taken from you in this manner but then to know that the person who killed him is still out there, to feel like we have to chase him down, has added an incredibly painful layer to our grief.”
The next highest name on the most wanted list is Gene Karl Lahrkamp, a 36-year-old British Columbia resident wanted in the shooting death of 32-year-old Jimi Sandhu in Muang, Phuket, Thailand, on Feb. 5, 2022.
He is considered armed and dangerous.
A $100,000 reward is offered for information leading to his arrest.
