Police make arrest in East York stabbing that left mechanic dead

21-year-old Pratik Parajuli Thapa has been charged in the death of 27-year-old Ahmed Hassan Asif, found dead earlier this week.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a mechanic in East York earlier this week.

Toronto police announced on Saturday that Pratik Parajuli Thapa had been charged with second-degree murder in Wednesday night’s fatal stabbing.

Officers were initially called for an unknown trouble in the area of Gamble and Donlands Avenues shortly after 9:30 p.m.

Police said there were reports of an altercation at the back of a low-rise residential building and when officers arrived, they located 27-year-old Ahmed Hassan Asif without vital signs and suffering from stab wounds.

Life-saving measures were performed, but police said Asif was pronounced dead at the scene.

He is the city’s fifth homicide victim of the year.

In a news release on Saturday, police said Thapa had also been charged with robbery.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday morning.

When asked on Thursday about a possible motive for the stabbing, Toronto Police homicide Det.-Sgt. Sajeev Nair said he does not believe the incident was random but would not elaborate.

Nair described Asif as a “hard-working young man” who was “very much loved by his family and his nieces.”

He said Asif was not a resident of Toronto but does live in the GTA. Nair would not say why police believe the victim was in East York on Wednesday night.

With files from Codi Wilson