$50,000 Rewards for Arrests

Homicide and Missing Persons Unit
Integrated Gun & Gang Task Force
Rewards of up to $50,000 are being offered under the BOLO program for information leading to the arrest of two suspects in separate homicide and attempt murder investigations.

On September 6, 2015, Russell Sahadeo, 23, was stabbed to death in the Jane St. & Scarlett Rd. area. Two suspects were identified.

Three days after the incident, 21-year-old Marcus Lee turned himself into police at 12 Division and was charged with second-degree murder. Ton Quoc Hoang, also known as Tommy Ngo, remains at large. He has been sought on a Canada-wide warrant for second-degree murder since 2015.

Detective-Sergeant Leslie Dunkley is the lead investigator in the case.

At a news conference at Toronto Police headquarters on March 30, he said investigators believe Ngo is in the Greater Toronto Area.

“We are hopeful that the $50,000 reward offered today by the BOLO program will be an incentive for someone to come forward to police or Crime Stoppers with the information we need to locate Tommy Ngo and arrest and charge him with the murder,” Dunkley said. “We do not need you to be a witness or testify in court. The case against Tommy Ngo is ready to go to trial. We simply need your help with locating him.”

The homicide investigator warned anyone that might be helping Ngo to evade arrest that they could be charged with accessory after the fact.

“This criminal charge could result in life in prison,” Dunkley added.

He urged Ngo to contact a lawyer and turn himself in.

Ngo’s case was amplified when the program was launched three years ago. At the time, cash rewards weren’t offered.

The second investigation relates to two firearm investigations, one being a discharge firearm.

On April 1, 2020, a couple was fired at from a car in the Leslie St. and Sheppard Ave. E. area. No one was injured.

On October 25, 2021, a man put a gun to the head of a woman returning to her car in the Sheppard Ave. E. and Yorkland Rd. area. She was taken to a nearby gas station where she was able to call 9-1-1. As officers arrived on the scene, the man escaped, ramming a police car.

Usman Kassim is wanted on Canada-wide warrants for several charges, including two counts of attempted murder.

Detective-Sergeant Michelle Olszevski, of the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, said Kassim is wanted on six outstanding warrants in relation to several investigations.

“Investigators with the Gun and Gang Task Force have been working with local area officials to try to locate Usman,” she said. “His last known addresses are in Woodbridge and Toronto, but investigators believe that he is still in the GTA. We consider him to be armed, violent and dangerous, and, as with Tommy Ngo, no one should try and apprehend these men on their own.”

Staff Superintendent Lauren Pogue, of Detective Operations, said investigators work diligently daily to identify, locate and apprehend those responsible for some of the city’s most violent criminals.

“They work with their frontline colleagues, seek information from the community and follow the evidence where it takes them,” she said. “They do this well and have had great success in getting some of the most violent individuals off our streets and into custody. In some cases, suspects are able to evade capture. In these situations, the Toronto Police Service is privileged to work with organizations such as BOLO and Toronto Crime Stoppers which offer rewards and take tips, ultimately leading to the apprehension of criminals and providing some closure to victims and their families.”

BOLO – Be On The Look Out – is a term that is commonly used in movies and television shows and also within the law enforcement community.

Launched in 2018, the BOLO program is an initiative leveraging social media and technology to make sure citizens are on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted so they can report sightings and submit tips to help the police arrest these wanted people.

“Since, our program has made very tangible contributions to the safety of our communities,” said Maxime Langlois, of the Stephen Cretier Foundation that administers the BOLO program. “So far, we have launched over 20 amplification campaigns of priority wanted notices in co-operation with our partners across the country and we have offered over half a million dollars in rewards. These efforts have generated over 100 million advertisement impressions, thousands of media mentions, hundreds of tips and more importantly, seven arrests.”

Langlois said the rewards are only available until September 30, 2022.

Toronto Police Crime Stoppers Chair Sean Sportun said information received from tips will be forwarded to investigators assigned to the cases.

“Crime Stoppers will always guarantee your anonymity and you will never be required to testify,” he said. “So we urge you, if you know the whereabouts about Usman Kassim and Tommy Ngo or you have any information that can assist investigators in locating them, to come forward, speak up and break the silence. By doing so, you will be making a difference in the safety of your community.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7100 for Homicide Squad, 416-808-2510 for the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or online atwww.222tips.com.

Contact Corporate Communications

416-808-7100
40 College St., Toronto, ON M5G 2J3
Location of the contact address on the map

Share