Two youths charged after weapons incident at Kitchener high school
Two young people have been arrested after a youth suffered minor knife injuries at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) says officers were called to the school around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, but the fight occurred earlier in the day.
Investigators say several youths went to the high school and began pursuing another young person.
“The youth was able to get away and during the interaction another youth tried to step in and was assaulted by the group of youths,” WRPS Const. André Johnson said.
At this point in the investigation, police aren’t sure if the youths involved were students at the school.
Johnson said the incident is part of a concerning trend involving weapons.
“It actually extends beyond the youth,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of incidents of late with knives. It’s still a little bit early in terms of making any inferences of trends but it is quite concerning. It is something investigators are looking at and our crime analysts to learn what exactly is occurring and how we can put a stop to it.”
In the Forest Heights incident, a male and a female youth have been charged with assault with a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Investigators are still trying to identify other people who may have been involved in the incident. Anyone with information or footage of what happened is urged to contact police.
“We want to address that as fast as we can, these stabbings are concerning because they can cause life-altering injuries or even death,” said Supt. Eugene Fenton with the WRPS.
Fenton said the weapon is being used in a number of incidents, like threats, assaults and robberies.
“They are certainly more accessible than a firearm,” said Fenton.
“We're seeing incidents where they are known to each other and they're over disputes or retaliation or revenge from past disputes that are carrying on and spilling over to using extreme level of weapons,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.