Toronto Rapper Top5, Wanted for Murder, Arrested in L.A.

Toronto rapper Top5, who’s been wanted for months in connection with the murder of a 20-year-old in North York, has been arrested in L.A., say police.

The 22-year-old rapper, real name Hassan Ali, was detained Thursday by the Los Angeles Police Department on a provisional American arrest warrant, says a news release. He’s wanted by Toronto police for first-degree murder and three counts of failure to comply with bail.

Top5 has been evading police since May after his charges were upgraded to first-degree murder in connection to the January killing of 20-year-old Hashim Omar Hashi. Investigators say that on January 31, Hashi was shot dead in a car while attempting to enter an underground parking garage in the North York area.

The rapper was initially arrested in February and charged with accessory after the fact, as well as six other offences, including several for drug possession. He was released from custody in late March and had been living under house arrest. Once his charges were upgraded, he cut off his ankle bracelet and fled, a police source told the Toronto Star.

Just last August, Top5 dropped an attention-grabbing new music video, “Movie,” featuring fellow Toronto rappers Why G and Bundog.

“If you were waiting on a movie all year, this is the one you have been waiting for,” said a statement from Top5’s team. “Get your popcorn and make your way to the cinema at midnight because these dangerous humans look like they are going viral.”