Toronto police have arrested the alleged murderer of Canadian online poker player Matthew Bergart following a shootout at a Toronto recording studio between what are believed to be rival criminal gangs. Bergart, 30, was slain during a home-invasion robbery in late April at a friend's home in Toronto's Etobicoke district, in what police described as a "wrong place, wrong time" incident.
The alleged killer is a 16-year-old juvenile who cannot be named due to Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. However, the suspect had been wanted for several months in connection with Bergart's slaying and was already under a firearms prohibition from other previous crimes. Two others also sought in Bergart's killing remain at large.
23 arrested after over 100 shots fired in shootout
The murder suspect was one of 23 people arrested following the shootout at the unnamed recording studio on Toronto's Queens Street West, a hub of Canada's recording industry. The shootout occurred after an individual inside the studio posted a video of a birthday party taking place, with several people in the video blatantly flaunting weapons.
According to police, that video triggered three members of a rival gang to shoot up the studio. The three arrived in a stolen vehicle and began firing at the studio, and the armed people inside then returned gunfire. Amazingly, the three outside gunmen took cover behind an occupied, unmarked police car whose two officers were on stakeout in connection with an ongoing auto theft investigation. The unmarked squad car was hit numerous times by some of the more than 100 shots fired in the exchange. No one was hurt during the melee.
The three attackers fled in the stolen vehicle, which was penned in following a brief car chase, though two of the three men escaped on foot. Meanwhile, more officers stormed the recording studio, where another 22 people were arrested. Seven of those inside have already been charged with various crimes, mostly involving illegal gun possession.
All of those arrested were between 16 and 30 years of age, including the juvenile accused of killing Bergart. Besides the second-degree murder charge, the unnamed teen has also been charged with multiple crimes from the Monday shootout, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order, and three counts of possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon or prohibited device knowing no authority.
Toronto police also recovered 16 weapons, including two assault rifles, and noted that all of the guns had been purchased in the United States and then trafficked illegally into Canada.
