Man wielding butcher knife arrested outside Premier Ford’s Central Etobicoke home June 23, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews MAN wielding butcher knife (above) and yelling threats arrested outside Premier Ford’s Central Etobicoke home. Courtesy photo. A Toronto man has been arrested by 22 Division officers for allegedly wielding a large butcher knife and yelling threats outside Premier Doug Ford’s home in central Etobicoke. Officers said they were called on June 21 at 5:57 p.m. to a home in the the Kipling Ave. and Eglinton Ave. W. area, where the Ford family lives. The force in a press release said a man with a weapon was outside the Premier’s residence. Police said the suspect, who made it to the front door of Ford’s home, was told to drop the knife several times before he eventually did. Ford was not home at the time, but his wife arrived just minutes after the incident occurred, according to reports. “Prior to approaching the residence, he had slashed the tires of multiple vehicles,” police said. The man was arrested on the spot by an OPP officer assigned to guard the Premier and his family. Toronto Police Chief James Ramer said he is “very concerned” by the incident. “I’ve been in discussions with the OPP commissioner and in terms of the security out there,” Ramer said. “It’s an unfortunate incident.” Ford’s home has been the site of numerous protests over the last year. In a 2020 news conference, the premier blasted individuals for protesting the province’s lockdown measures and disrupting his neighbours, calling them “buffoons.” “I have the best neighbours anyone could ever ask for. They didn’t sign up for this, they aren’t making decisions for the government, it is totally unfair. It’s unacceptable that they have to put up with this because they’re living beside the Premier,” Ford said then. Ford said that a group of protesters were showing up at his home every Saturday morning and he had to call the fire department after one particular incident in which a protester “threw blood on the street.” “You want to protest, God bless you, freedom of speech, come down [to Queen’s Park], protest, do whatever you want,” he said. “Don’t scare the kids in the neighbourhood. You are scaring them. You are intimidating them.” The home was also a hive of non-stop protests and demonstrations when the Premier’s brother, the late Rob Ford, was mayor of Toronto. George Niras, 44, of Toronto, has been arrested and charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and 11 counts of mischief to property under $5,000. He appeared before a judge at a 2201 Finch Ave. W. court on June 22.