Man allegedly involved in Schomberg shooting removes GPS monitor, considered armed and dangerous
York Regional Police (YRP) are on the hunt for a man allegedly involved in the shooting of a 65-year-old man in Schomberg as he walked his dog in February 2023.
YRP say the shooting involved members of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang, known as MS-13, that was hired by an organized crime group to kill a man, but they targeted the wrong person. The victim was shot 13 times and survived.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Police say Ronald Mortaya-Cruz, aka Azul, is facing charges of participating in activities of criminal organization.
They say that in May, following his bail release, the 43-year-old removed his GPS monitoring device. Mortaya-Cruz was last seen in the area of Keele Street and Grandravine Drive in Toronto.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
"All investigative avenues have been exhausted and his whereabouts remain unknown," police stated in a Thursday release.
Police say he should be considered armed and dangerous, and warn the public not to approach him, but rather contact the authorities or Crime Stoppers.
Mortaya-Cruz is five feet nine inches tall with a heavy build, short black hair, a long beard, and brown eyes. He has tattoos on his right hand, both forearms, and the left side of his neck.
Police noted he has connections to the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I recognize these footsteps': How Trump and 'coyote' smuggling changed life at the border
Bent signs bolted to the rail threaten fines and imprisonment should violators cross the boundary into the United States, a warning many people are choosing to ignore simply by walking around the barrier.
Stanley cups recalled over ‘burn hazard’
A recall notice is in effect for a selection of Stanley travel mugs, warning consumers to 'immediately stop using' them.
She took a DNA test for fun. Police used it to charge her grandmother with murder in a cold case
According to court documents, detectives reopened the cold case in 2017 and then worked with a forensics company to extract DNA from Baby Garnet's partial femur, before sending the results to Identifinders International.
Video shows moments before a plane crashes into a busy Texas intersection
Four people sustained non-life-threatening injuries after a small plane crashed into a busy intersection in Victoria, Texas, Wednesday.
Weather warnings for hazardous conditions in parts of Canada
Canadians will experience contrasting weather on Thursday, from warmer temperatures in the Maritimes to extreme cold in parts of Ontario, the Prairies and the North.
Indian Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, becomes the youngest ever chess world champion
Teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest-ever undisputed classical chess world champion after beating Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in their best-of-14 final in Singapore on Thursday.
'Enough is enough': Doug Ford says Ontario could hand encampment drug users $10,000 fines, prison
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government is introducing a suite of measures to help municipalities “address and dismantle” homeless encampments around the province, including steep fines for people who use drugs.
Dog found after vehicle stolen in Toronto
A dog that was inside a vehicle when it was stolen in Toronto on Wednesday has been found, police say.
Canada says it wants to slash its emisssions by half by 2035. Will that be enough?
Canada is aiming to cut its emissions in half by 2035 compared to 2005 levels, a newly released target range that is lower than what a federal advisory body recommended.