Man returned to face murder charge
Toronto police escort rapper Top 5 back to Canada after he cut off ankle bracelet, fled country
A Toronto man who police say cut off his ankle bracelet and fled to California while on bail has returned to Canada to face a firstdegree murder charge.
Hassan Ali, 23, made a brief remote court appearance Friday after Toronto homicide officers escorted him back to the city from the U.S. following his arrest by Los Angeles police officers last October at a Hollywood fast food outlet.
“I’d like to stay in Toronto, please,” Ali, rubbing his chin and dressed in a white tracksuit, said while sitting in a video cell at 23 Division as lawyers discussed his next court appearance with a justice of the peace.
Ali, who performs as the rapper Top 5, was ordered released on bail last March while charged with being accessory after the fact to the killing of Hashim Omar Hashi, 20. Police described the Humber College accounting student as well-respected, humble and hardworking with zero gang ties or criminal involvement.
Hashi was shot multiple times around 9 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2021, attempting to drive his car in the garage of his apartment building near Jane Street and Falstaff Avenue. There was no connection between Hashi and Ali, police said.
Last May, when Ali learned his charge was going to be upgraded to first-degree murder, he cut the GPS ankle bracelet and fled his residence, state the extradition hearing documents filed in the United States District Court of the Central District of California.
The allegations contained in the documents have not been tested in court. They allege that Ali, who is from Lawerence Heights, is a member of the Jungle Bloods street gang, also known as the Go Getem Gang. The documents allege he participated in Hashi’s killing to avenge the 2017 slaying of his brother. Police believe Hashi was not targeted because he had anything to do with the killing, but because he was in an area of the city considered enemy turf.
The court documents suggest Toronto prosecutors intend to rely on some of Ali’s prolific online social media activity to prove their case against him. That includes him discussing killing people “in retaliation for his brother’s death on public social media posts, including one less than three days before the murder,” the October 2021 document says. Ali also recorded a song where he threatened to kill someone “just for Foolish,” the nickname of his brother.
The evidence against him includes video surveillance and cellphone records. Prosecutors believe Ali was in a vehicle with the shooter and another man who have not been publicly identified or charged.
One of his bail conditions was an order that he stay off social media sites following police and community concern that his inflammatory lyrics and online commentary have provoked real-world shootings in Toronto. Responding to critics, the 23-year-old has said he raps about “what sells” — his Instagram account has 179,000 followers, and his YouTube music videos often top a million views — and he’s far from the first Toronto rapper with an online persona that glorifies violence.
Like many independent GTA rappers, Ali needs social media to promote his career, generate income from streaming and, perhaps, attract the attention of record labels looking for performers who bring large followings with them.
During his time on the run, Ali continued to use social media, and claimed he was in Somalia, where his family is originally from. However, authorities believed he used false travel documents to enter the U.S.
His social media trail eventually led LAPD to find and arrest Ali.
On Friday, a photo of his defence lawyer, Kim Schofield, was posted on Ali’s verified Instagram account that read: “It’s time to work.”
In addition to the murder charge, Ali faces three counts of fail to comply with recognizance. He was ordered to appear in court again next month.
The Star is aware of six examples in 2021 of people accused of serious crimes, on bail, who removed their ankle bracelets, including Ali. All six were located, re-arrested, and detained and the vast majority of people under GPS monitoring comply with the program.
Prosecutors believe Ali was in a vehicle with the shooter and another man who have not been publicly identified or charged