Sun, August 22, 2004
A TASK force hunting the Summerlea Stalker -- the armed man marauding through the Rexdale park and suspected in at least five attacks -- arrested a man yesterday. "We've got an arrest, which is great. I'm ecstatic," Toronto Police sex crimes Staff-Insp. Bruce Smollett said. "We took this seriously ... It's a real credit to the officers involved."
Between 12 and 20 officers have been working on the case, which dates to May 2003.
RECENTLY USED A GUN
The stalker sometimes robbed and sometimes sexually assaulted his victims -- police were never sure whether he was primarily after money or sex or both -- and was usually armed with a knife.
In his most recent attacks, though, he used a gun.
And while he did hunt lone women walking defenceless through the park, the culprit also stalked couples parked in secluded areas of the park, near Albion Rd. and Elmhurst Ave.
In those attacks, he would approach the couple and ask for a cigarette, before dragging the woman away and ordering the man to stay put.
TERROR LINGERS ON
In a recent attack in August, he even stole the couple's car and forced the woman to drive him to her bank machine.
Regardless of what technique he used, he always terrified his victims, Smollett said.
"The terror to these women is real ... broken bones and stuff will heal; it's the mental stuff that doesn't go away," Smollett said.
Floyd Johnson, 30, is charged with two counts of kidnapping, four counts of robbery and two counts of sexual assault with a weapon.