Number One Suspect Wanted for Brazen Shooting at Toronto Soccer Game
TORONTO, May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than $750,000 in rewards were announced Monday as the Bolo Program marked five years of campaigns to catch Canada's most wanted fugitives.
With life-sized cutouts of 25 fugitives on display at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square, Bolo's new #1 suspect was revealed to be Cristian Adolfo Cuxum, wanted for the brazen murder of 49-year-old referee Edwin Farley Alvarado Quintero during a Toronto soccer game last October. Two other people were injured in the gunfire. A reward of up to $250,000 was announced for any information leading to Cuxum's arrest.
Several other suspects on the updated Top 25 list, which brings together information about most wanted suspects from across the country, are connected to rewards ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.
Bolo Program Director Max Langlois was joined by Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw, Toronto Crime Stoppers Chair Sean Sportun, and police partners from across Canada in revealing the updated Top 25 list ? an initiative that was first launched by Bolo in April 2022.
"The Bolo Program does three very important things," Bolo Program Director Max Langlois said. "It undoubtedly makes our communities safer. It plays an extremely important role in allowing victims and survivors to take the next step forward in their most unfortunate journeys. And finally, it allows all of us to stand up against those who are accused of unthinkable acts of violence and are defying our rule-of-law by actively evading arrest."
The first Bolo Program campaign was launched in Toronto on May 1, 2018. In the five years leading up to Monday's news conference, Bolo's signature yellow most wanted ads were seen 250 million times; there were 3 million pageviews on Bolo's website; the Program was mentioned by the media more than 5,000 times; some 600 tips were generated; and nearly 40 per cent of the 46 suspects featured by Bolo were apprehended.
"Five years into our partnership with the Bolo Program, I can say with confidence that it has made communities safer ? not only here in Toronto, but right across the country," Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said. "The strength of Bolo is in its simplicity. If a case is featured by Bolo, we are not looking for evidence. We are not looking for witnesses to testify in court. We just need that one tip that leads us to the suspect. And thanks to the guarantee of anonymity provided by Crime Stoppers, we don't even need to know who is giving us the information. Bolo is a win-win-win for police, for the community, and for tipsters."
Thanks to a partnership with Crime Stoppers programs, the Top 25 list allows tipsters to anonymously share information and collect their rewards, without ever speaking to an investigator.
"Toronto Crime Stoppers is committed to our efforts to mobilize the community to see it, say it, stop it," said Toronto Crime Stoppers Chair Sean Sportun. "Remember, with Crime Stoppers, you remain anonymous. Criminals don't."
Top 25 List
For information on each case, visit boloprogram.org.
About Bolo Program
The Bolo Program is a breakthrough initiative leveraging social media, technology, and innovative engagement to encourage citizens to be on the lookout for Canada's most wanted, so they can help keep their communities safe. The term ?BOLO', which stands for "be on the lookout," is commonly used to designate actively wanted suspects.
The Bolo Program reaches citizens at the right time, at the right place, and by using the right means to encourage citizens to be on the lookout. The Program amplifies priority wanted notices for which Canadian police services have already requested the public's assistance. In cooperation with Canadian police services and Crime Stoppers, the Program launches amplification campaigns to reach wider audiences for these notices, on multiple platforms and over extended periods of time, and offers major financial rewards as incentives for citizens to be on the lookout and submit tips to the authorities.
Media contact: [email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/922952f4-f2a3-46de-9e08-510e6f3d6c4f