Toronto police confirmed Monday they have made an arrest in a string of sexual assaults in the Bloor and Christie area in which female pedestrians were attacked from behind as they walked at night.
The assaults, more than a dozen stretching back to the summer, happened as women walked along downtown streets.
Police have scheduled a 10 a.m. news conference to provide more details about the arrest.
In the assaults, women were attacked from behind by an assailant who then fled.
Three almost identical assaults occurred over the Thanksgiving weekend. Those assaults were reported on Grace Street near Bloor Street West and two within five minutes on Montrose Avenue near College Street.
At the time, police could not confirm whether the Thanksgiving weekend attacks were connected to a series of similar assaults stretching back to the summer. In total, 13 such assaults have been reported.
The attacks prompted hundreds of people to take part in September rally to symbolically take back the area around Christie Pits Park.
"After the initial shock of some of the assaults, what's happened is it's actually really galvanized the community," local Coun. Mike Layton said on CBC's Metro Morning on Monday.
"Immediately following the first round of announcements of them, it brought people out onto the street and people taking back the street and [had them] saying, 'You know what? We're not going to have this in our community.'"
The description of the suspect in the assaults has varied somewhat but police were looking for a black male with a heavy build, who is reported to be five feet 10 inches to six feet tall.
Arrest made in Bloor-Christie sex assaults - Toronto - CBC News
The assaults, more than a dozen stretching back to the summer, happened as women walked along downtown streets.
Police have scheduled a 10 a.m. news conference to provide more details about the arrest.
In the assaults, women were attacked from behind by an assailant who then fled.
Three almost identical assaults occurred over the Thanksgiving weekend. Those assaults were reported on Grace Street near Bloor Street West and two within five minutes on Montrose Avenue near College Street.
At the time, police could not confirm whether the Thanksgiving weekend attacks were connected to a series of similar assaults stretching back to the summer. In total, 13 such assaults have been reported.
The attacks prompted hundreds of people to take part in September rally to symbolically take back the area around Christie Pits Park.
"After the initial shock of some of the assaults, what's happened is it's actually really galvanized the community," local Coun. Mike Layton said on CBC's Metro Morning on Monday.
"Immediately following the first round of announcements of them, it brought people out onto the street and people taking back the street and [had them] saying, 'You know what? We're not going to have this in our community.'"
The description of the suspect in the assaults has varied somewhat but police were looking for a black male with a heavy build, who is reported to be five feet 10 inches to six feet tall.
Arrest made in Bloor-Christie sex assaults - Toronto - CBC News