Police visited home linked to Rob Ford crack allegations
Published reports have identified the house where a notorious photo of Rob Ford posing with suspected drug dealers was taken, but Toronto's mayor has refused to comment on the Windsor Road residence.
CBC News has confirmed that an assault occurred at the Windsor Road house, just days after news broke that two news outlets had been approached about buying a video purporting to show Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine.
The men trying to sell the video provided Gawker and the Toronto Star with a photo of Ford arm in arm with Anthony Smith — a 21-year-old who was shot dead in March outside a Toronto nightclub — and two other men in front of the Windsor Road house.
Police responded to a call from that home regarding an assault in progress on May 21. They confirmed Thursday that a man forcibly entered the home and assaulted two people inside with “some kind of pipe.”
A 31-year-old female and a 44-year-old male suffered minor injuries, including a cut on the left cheek and a blow to the head.
The attacker, who ran out the front door in an "unknown direction," was described as a black male in his mid-30s wearing dark clothing. Police told CBC News that they have "no information that the suspect was looking for a video," as some news outlets have alleged, but did say he was specifically looking for one of the victims.
When officers arrived to investigate, there was "not much" co-operation from residents of the home, police said.
Rob Ford alleged crack video losing 'credibility,' deputy mayor says
Gawker reports Rob Ford alleged crack video may be 'gone'
Meanwhile, the editor of Gawker said earlier this week that the gossip site's main contact for the alleged video now says its main contact fears the footage is "gone."
Ford has denied he uses crack and has denied the video exists.
"I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine," he told a news conference at city hall.
The house where the photo was taken is on Windsor Road in northwest Toronto, near Kipling Avenue and Dixon Road, according to the reports Thursday.
Reporters asked Ford about the Windsor Road house on Wednesday, but he refused to respond.
CBC News went to the house on Thursday morning. There was no answer at the door of the beige brick bungalow, which appears to have exterior details that match those in the photo.
"Neighbours say an older woman lives in this home, but they also see younger men here and they believe they are tenants," reported the CBC's Trevor Dunn.
Dunn spoke to a man who lives across the street, who saw police activity on the street on May 21.
"My dad said he heard some loud noise," the man told CBC News. "He came out and said less like than half an hour later there were four or five or six cop cars ... they were canvassing the area."
