Two Toronto men with lengthy and violent criminal histories are back in the spotlight, facing new serious charges that underscore a pattern of alleged re-offending. The cases of Cassim Cummings, 33, and Tajahan Kelly, 30, highlight the challenges of dealing with repeat offenders in the city's justice system. None of the new allegations have been proven in court.
Cassim Cummings: A History of Transit Violence
The latest incident involving Cummings occurred on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, in North York. Toronto Police allege he carried out an unprovoked attack on a stranger in the area of Yonge Street and Empress Avenue.
According to investigators, the victim was walking when they were approached from behind and assaulted, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Cummings now faces one count of assault causing bodily harm.
This is far from Cummings' first encounter with the law, particularly involving public transit. In 2013, he was sentenced to four years in jail for stabbing a fellow TTC passenger at Davisville Station. The victim had asked Cummings to stop bothering other riders. That same month, he faced additional charges for incidents at Finch and North York Centre stations, including assault and threatening bodily harm after allegedly choking a man and punching a security guard.
By 2016, while on probation for the stabbing, Cummings was charged again with mischief, assaulting a peace officer, and failure to comply with a probation order. Police records indicate he had dozens of prior convictions at that time.
Tajahan Kelly: From Home Invasions to Alleged Kidnapping
Meanwhile, Tajahan Kelly faces a new slate of charges following an alleged violent kidnapping attempt in Rexdale on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
Police allege Kelly was among four individuals who kidnapped a victim at gunpoint, driving them around the area for approximately an hour while making demands. The group then allegedly confronted a homeowner with a shotgun, stealing cash, jewelry, drugs, and a Ford F-150 truck before fleeing.
Kelly is charged with kidnapping, robbery, firearm offences, and failing to comply with a court order.
Kelly's criminal record paints a picture of escalating allegations. In 2014, he was arrested for a home invasion in Oakville where suspects armed with knives forced their way into an apartment where a woman was alone. He was charged with robbery, break and enter, and dangerous operation of a vehicle after allegedly striking two police cars while fleeing.
A major turning point came in 2018 during a multi-jurisdictional drug and firearms investigation. Police seized an arsenal including a machine gun, an assault rifle, silencers, grenades, body armour, multiple drugs, and $85,000 in cash. Kelly was among those charged.
Most recently, in November 2024 in Thunder Bay, Kelly was charged after an incident where a gun was allegedly pointed at police and a fleeing vehicle nearly struck an officer. Charges included drug and firearm offences, obstructing police, and again, failing to comply with a court order.
A Recurring Pattern in Urban Justice
The parallel cases of Cummings and Kelly raise difficult questions about rehabilitation, deterrence, and public safety. Both men have cycled through the justice system multiple times, facing charges for serious violent offences, only to be accused of new crimes upon release.
Their histories suggest these are not isolated anomalies but part of a broader pattern of chronic offending. The new charges against both men will now work their way through the Ontario court system, where the allegations will be tested against the evidence.
For Toronto police and prosecutors, these cases represent the ongoing challenge of dealing with individuals who have extensive criminal records and are repeatedly accused of violent acts. For the community, they highlight concerns about safety and the effectiveness of judicial consequences.
