Toronto rapper Top5, cleared in 2021 fatal shooting, arrested on gun-related charges

One of two people arrested by Toronto police during a firearms investigation Friday is a Toronto rapper who was recently acquitted of murder charges related to a 2021 shooting.

Hassan Ali, who goes by the stage name Top5, was taken into custody after police executed a search warrant in the Enterprise Boulevard and Birchmount Road area of Markham.

The 26-year-old is facing five gun-related charges including possession of a weapon and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Yasin Ali, 29, of Toronto was also taken into custody and is facing six similar gun-related charges. Police say he is not related to Hassan, other than they just happen to have the same last name.

Police did not provide any further details on the investigation which led up to the arrests.

Ali was cleared of murder charges last September in the fatal 2021 shooting of 20-year-old Hashim Omar Hashi, who was gunned down in the parking garage of an apartment building at 40 Falstaff Avenue.

It was while Ali was in custody at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton awaiting trial that he made headlines for recording a music video for the song “21 Questions.”

In the song, Ali says, “I was 18 when I bought a gun, 22 when I shot your son.”

The murder case collapsed after a judge ruled to exclude key evidence.

September 2024 report on Hassan Ali released from prison after being cleared of murder charges