2 'blood-soaked' men face slew of charges in vicious west Edmonton assault

Two men face a total of 65 charges including attempted murder after a violentassault in west Edmonton Saturday left a 34-year-old man in critical condition.

Edmonton police were called to a suite in the area of 173rd Street and 69th Avenue at 2 p.m. Saturday after multiple reports from neighbours about a disturbance.

When police walked into the building, two men exited the elevatorcovered in blood. The men were taken into custody for questioningand police moved on to a unit on the 17th floor.

When they arrived, they found the 34-year-old man with multiple blunt force trauma and stab wounds and several other peopleface down, bound with zip-ties.

EPS spokesperson Scott Pattisonsaid several of the people found in the suite had been assaulted. They wereknown to police.

Pattison said police confiscated several weapons, including a shotgun and a machete, both of which may have been used in the attack. Police believe the butt of the shotgun may have been used to inflict blunt-force trauma wounds.

Two men are in custody related tothe incident.

Quick thinking

Pattisonsaid police reacted quickly thanks to neighbours who called in the disturbance.

"If those neighbours would have waited to phone police ... not only could the accused have gotten away but the complainant he's in hospital nowsurely would have died."

He said nearly everyone involved in the incident was disturbed.

"Not only the people in the building, the neighbours, but everybody that was involved was traumatized," Pattison said. He added he couldn't speak for the police officers involved, though he said it's likely it wasn't easy for them.

"Certainly, when you walk into a building not knowing what you're going to find and all of a sudden two blood-soaked individuals come off the elevator, yeah, that gets your attention pretty quick," he said.

The two men in custody, a 36-year-old and a 38-year-old, face the following charges:

• Attempted murder
• Aggravated assault
• Three counts of assault with a weapon
• Two counts of assault causingbodily harm
• Kidnapping
• Five counts of unlawful confinement
• Intimidation
• Two counts of robbery
• Five counts of forcibleconfinement
• Breach of probation
• Multiple weapons offences

Pattison said the two men will face more serious charges if the 34-year-old man in life-threatening condition dies.