A York student was robbed at gunpoint last week while parked in his car behind a Toronto Public Library branch near Steeles and Islington.
Ali Aziz, a fourth-year English literature student, was approached by three males at approximately 10:30 p.m. when he was using the library’s Wi-Fi after hours.
Aziz saw the gunman minutes before the confrontation. According to Aziz, the assailant was staring at him for a period of time before he returned wearing a bandana.
“And then 15 or 20 minutes later, I’m in the car, and I turn and there is a gun in my face,” he says.
The assailant told Aziz to exit the vehicle and hand over the keys. Another assailant entered the vehicle behind him.
“When he put the gun in my face, I couldn’t get my eye off the barrel because I was thinking, ‘what if it’s a BB gun?’ If it’s a BB gun, I can just take the gun away from him, but then again I’m not an expert on guns, so I had no idea.”
Aziz exited the vehicle leaving his laptop and cell phone behind before the three assailants drove away.
The car was found approximately 10 minutes away from the library. Police impounded the vehicle, which had subsequently been damaged from an alleged joy ride.
The Toronto Police Service 31 Division handled the crime, but were unavailable for comment.
“I’ve never been put in a position where an actual gun was pulled on me,” says Aziz. “It wasn’t really a scary experience. It was more inconvenient than anything else.”
“The whole time I’m thinking, I’m writing two essays and the drafts are in the laptop. And I’m going to have to restart. I’m also thinking of all the notes I’m going to lose.”
Aziz cites the laptop and phone as a $2,000 loss.
[su_box title=”more information” box_color=”#e41e26″]York has a number of crime prevention tips. Click here for more information.[/su_box]
Ryan Moore, News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Toronto Public Library
