Some Recent Photos from the Waterfront

Armoured Truck Guards Ambushed by Gunmen

Well that was a shift I won't soon forget. I was nearby as an armoured cash truck was robbed. Police say the guards were ambushed as soon as they stepped out of the vehicle. 

One guard was shot four times. His partner was able to get back into the truck only because the bandits jumped the gun. They descended on the victims before one guard was completely out of the truck, giving him the chance to get back in and lock it down. 

Hats off to local cops and specialized TAVIS units who headed straight for nearby Lawrence Heights, a high crime housing project affectionately known as The Jungle to police and residents. 

Police were able to arrest three 18 year old men and recover one firearm. The suspects hands can be seen in the photos being covered with evidence bags to preserve gunshot residue.  

Police say the suspects had fled the scene on foot. They looked exhausted as they were arrested after 30 minutes and some 3km's away. 

They face attempted murder charges as well as numerous armed robbery offences. The kicker is they tried to rob the exact same two guards in a botched robbery on Jun 5th. 

It was a quiet night and I had shot nothing

and then this happened 15 minutes prior to the end of my shift .... Clear across town. Yup , I could have pretended I didn't hear it, but I didn't. 

Rob Ford Night

It was Rob Ford night last night, as he announced a leave of absence. Will he get on the wagon or ride the truck all the way to the dump?

Scanning for stories: Behind the scenes working overnight camera

I get requests regularly from people who want to ride along on the night shift. I say no to most as my shift and the work I do can't be a bit stressful and strange to outsiders. I really enjoyed having Eric Mark DO come along on a snowy night that started with an explosion and fire.

When most of Toronto is fast asleep, CBC's Tony Smyth is scanning the airwaves for the next big story. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be a camera operator capturing local news in the dark of night.

By Eric Mark Do, Reporter

CLICK HERE: Scanning for stories: Behind the scenes working overnight camera

Malton Fire Injures Firefighters.

A powerful explosion at a Mississauga warehouse came without warning on Wednesday morning, injuring a group of firefighters who were trying to make their way inside.
It was just after 4:30 a.m. ET when firefighters were alerted to the fire at an industrial warehouse located at 2797 Thamesgate Dr., just north of Toronto Pearson International Airport.

As the first firefighters on the scene attempted to enter the building, a large explosion caused a wall to collapse, briefly trapping them inside.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/explosion-at-mississauga-warehouse-injures-4-firefighters-1.2618753

3rd Alarm Rooming House Fire Kills 2 and Injures 10

A horrific 3rd alarm fire in Toronto's Chinatown last night left 2 dead and 10 injured. Police arrived on scene first and pulled a woman and child from the smoke filled building before TFS got on scene. 

The last two men to be pulled out were vital signs absent and later died. 

http://youtu.be/UzMUZckfiV4

Trash Hauling Truck Fire

I was nearby. I arrived before the fire trucks.

Caution : Local Media Followers and Industry Insiders

My use of Twitter is for entertainment purposes only. While I may attempt to keep people up to date on events happening in the world of local news, this information should not be used as a basis to write news stories. 

If you are an assignment desk worker at a competing news agency, please do not assign your staff to events based solely on my tweets. They may be embellished or written solely for the purpose of entertainment. 

"Embellished" To make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features.

"blue silk embellished with golden embroidery"

A tweet does not mean I am attending an event. Many tweets are based solely on information garnered from unreliable sources, such as passersby, others twitter users or from radio frequency scanning devices. 

I have received SEVERAL expressions of concern from other members of the media, such as photographers, videographers and reporters, that they are often assigned to stories, based solely on tweets or posts on social media. Please understand I may be tweeting about events that I have no intention of attending, or attempting to confirm the limited information I may have at the time of said tweet. 

As an assignment desk professional or a news producer, you should always assume my tweets are for entertainment only. Please continue to monitor your regular sources for information on breaking news events, such as listening to scanners and calling Police, Fire and EMS dispatchers before crews have arrived on scene or provided any updates back to their superiors. 

Basically, if your getting your news from me on Twitter you're not doing yourself or your employer any favours. Also please feel free to reply back to my tweets, especially those that contain pictures of my lunch or my puppy. Also please feel free to include my @latenightcam twitter handle in your tweets, when you post pictures of your lunch, your puppy or your five cats. 

If you do work at another media outlet and enjoy my tweets, please say hello every now and again online. The nightshift is a lonely existence. I appreciate the company and nobody likes a lurker or a troll. 

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Thank you and have a nice day! 

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