Drive-by shootings at movie theatres across GTA lead to arrest of Brampton man

Police have made another arrest in a string of drive-by shootings at movie theatres in Brampton and across the GTA and investigators are asking the public to help find more suspects.

Four shootings happened in Brampton, Richmond Hill, Scarborough and Vaughan during the overnight hours of Jan. 23, York Regional Police say.

Peel Regional Police were called to the SilverCity Brampton Cinemas on Great Lakes Drive after receiving reports of gunshots and found a broken glass panel and a theatre sign with holes in it. A Peel police spokesperson told Insauga.com that officers did not locate any evidence of a shooting at the time.

No injuries were reported as police said the cinemas were closed at the time of the attacks.

Reports have linked the violence to a group trying to stop some South Indian-language movies from being shown in favour of other films. At least one Ontario film distributor has alleged that the shootings are linked to an intimidation campaign by other film distributors to prevent popular South Indian movies from appearing in large chains.

Theatre chain Cineplex pulled the 2024 South Indian film “Malaikottai Vaaliban” from theatres just one day after police in York said the theatre shootings in multiple cities were connected.

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A 27-year-old man from Markham was arrested in May and charged with multiple offences including four counts of discharge firearm, but police believe multiple suspects were involved in the shootings.

York police say they raided a Brampton residence and a business in Toronto on May 22 leading to the arrest of a 43-year-old from Brampton.

Prasanna Kalingarajan, 43, of Brampton has been charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, intimidation,
extortion, and utter threats.

No details on any court dates scheduled for the accused have been released by police.

Another cinema in Richmond Hill has since been shot up multiple times following the January shooting spree. Police have not said if the recent shootings are connected to the earlier incidents.

Investigators say there are still additional suspects linked to the shootings and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact Peel Regional Police by calling 905-453-3311. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca.

– With files from The Canadian Press