Search for suspect in Bridgewater stabbing enters fifth day

Bridgewater police and RCMP are continuing to search for a Cape Breton man who has evaded police for five days after allegedly assaulting his partnerand trying to kill an officer.

On Saturday, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Lisa Croteau said the investigation and search for Tobias Doucette is ongoing.

She said police continue to follow up on tips from the public, but have no recent sightings to report.

"If anyone has any information about his whereabouts, definitely give us a call," Croteau said.

Croteau said she knows some Department of National Defence members were called in to help with the search earlier this week, but did not know whattheir role was in the investigation on Saturday.

On Tuesday evening, RCMP said they had evacuated multiple homes in the Hebbville area just outside Bridgewater as they searched for Doucette.

Croteau saidpolice have followed up with those residents since then and people have been advised they can return home if they feel comfortable.

Police have said Doucette, who is from Cape Breton but was living in Bridgewater, assaulted his common-law partner in a hotel late Monday night.

When police arrived, Doucette allegedly stabbed Sgt. Matthew Bennett in the neck and fled the scene wearing black shorts and no shoes or shirt.

Court documents say police seized a hatchet and 23 grams of the hallucinogenic drug magic mushrooms from the hotel room where Doucette is accused of assaulting the officer.

The search warrant documents also allege Doucette choked his common-law partner in the hotel room and that she was bleeding from the nose when police arrived.

Doucette is facing charges of attempted murder related to the officerand assault related to his common-law partner.

He has managed to elude police since. He is accused of stabbing an RCMP dog that was pursuing him at one point.

The RCMP said Friday that both Bennett and the police dog, Fergus, are recovering well.

The latest sighting of Doucette happened around 2:30 p.m. Friday, according to the Bridgewater Police Service. They sent out a tweet asking the public to avoid the area around Glen Allan Drive, Aberdeen Street and LaHave Street,

Later that night,Bridgewater police tweeted the streets had been reopened after Doucette wasn't located.

Doucette is described by police as six-foot-two and 220 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.

Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the RCMP at 1-800-803-7267.