Charges pending in LRT station stabbing, store robbery, driver assault

Charges are pending against a 24-year-old man after a teenagerwas stabbed numerous times in an unprovoked attack Tuesday morning on the South Campus LRTplatform.

In a series of events police are describing as a crime spree, the suspect allegedlyfled the scene of the stabbing,robbeda nearby store, assaulteda shop employee and stole a getaway car before getting into a scuffle with police in west Edmonton.

Investigatorsdo not believe the suspect knew any of the victims.

The stabbing victim is in serious but stable condition in hospital,Alberta Health Services spokesperson Kerry Williamson toldCBCNews.

The guy seemed to come out of nowhere andstarted stabbing him.- Jason Cey

Officers were first called to the train station around 7:40a.m. after a 19-year-old man was stabbed in the chest while waiting for his train. Police initially indicated that the victim was 20 years old.

JasonCey, 22, was on his way to a class on campus when he saw the man being attacked, just a few feet away on the busy platform.

The man cried out for help as he was repeatedly stabbed in the chest,Ceysaid.

"The guy was stabbed multiple times by another young guy on the train platform. He was stabbing the other guy with a long kind of switchblade silver knife."

The attack was sudden and unprovoked,Ceysaid.

"I couldn't see a fight at all beforehand. The guy seemed to come out of nowhere andstarted stabbing him."

Bystanders jumped in to help

Cey said he and a few other commuters rushed to intervene in the attack.

"A couple of guys pulled off the assailant, and I helped the gentleman who was wounded to the ground," Cey said.

"I put some pressure on his wound and called 911 immediately, and just waited there for EMS and the cops to show up."

A doctor and nursewho were on the platform alsojumped in to help.The South CampusLRTstation is two stops south of the Health Sciences station, with its proximity tothe University andStolleryChildren's hospitals.

Cey said the injured man remained conscious and responsive until paramedics arrived minutes later.

"I'm feeling a littlebit bad that I didn't do more to see what was going on,but at least I was there to help the guy," Cey said.

After the stabbing, at about 8 a.m., police were called to a robbery at a Petro-Canada near 57th Avenue and 111th Street.

A man entered the business, assaulted an employee and stole merchandise.

The man then went outside to the parking lot, and demanded that a driver take him away from the scene. When the woman refused, the suspect allegedly jumped into her vehicle on the passenger side and grabbed her.

The woman was able to escape from the vehicle, police said. The suspect then reportedly stole the woman's 2017 Cadillac XTS and drove south on 111th Street.

The male employeewas treated on scene forminor injuries. The driver was unhurt.

Police used an electronic vehicle monitoring system to track the stolenCadillac. It was found parked behind a business near 179th Street and 106A Avenue.

As officers arrived,the suspect tried to drive away but was blocked by police. When thesuspect got out of the car,a brief altercation ensued. Then man broke free and ran off.

At about8:30 a.m., with help from a police dog, officers arresteda suspect in the area of 181st Street and 107th Avenue.

At an afternoon news conference, acting Staff Sgt. Neil Thompson commended bystanders who jumped into action on the LRT platform.

"They were a huge help, and I definitely commend them for quick actions," Thompson said, adding he had seen video of the stabbing.

"Themain fellow that intervened, it looked like it was just a natural reaction. I don't think he even had time to think about it. But there's no doubt in my mind he definitely played a part in helping that fellow or saving that fellow."

Thompson said the Cadillac's OnStar navigation system helped police quickly pinpoint the stolen car's location, leading to the arrest of the suspect, who was known to police.

"OnStar was definitely a big help in locating the vehicle," Thompson said. "We had suspect description, vehicle match, but with the help of OnStar it was much quicker than if we were simply broadcasting to other divisions, other units."

"If that were me there I'd want somebody trying to help me'

6 years ago

Duration 0:37

People were shocked Tuesday morning when a man was stabbed on the South Campus LRT platform.

Ceysaid he was rattled by the sudden attack on the LRT platform.

"You like to think that you're safe in public," he said. "But I guess not."

Mayor Don Ivesonsaid public transit is generally safe because there are people and cameras around.

"There's a lot of deterrentsin place that mean when something like this happens, the likelihood of holding someone accountable is higher than if it just happened anywhere else," Iveson said.

"I do understand they're upsetting and concerning for people. I was almost on that train this morning. If I'd taken the train this morning that would have been about the time."

The stabbing created delays for early morning commuters, with LRTservice suspended at the station and transit users being shuttled by replacement buses.

The disruptions ended just before 10 a.m. when ETS said it would resume scheduled service.

Bus replacement is ending. LRT service is moving towards normal midday service of 15 minute frequency on the Capital Line with some minor delays as trains are put back in order. Thanks for your patience. #yegtransit

—@takeETSalert