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
Montreal doctors' breakthrough discovery about causes of cerebral palsy giving hope
A breakthrough discovery made by doctors at the Montreal Children's Hospital about the causes of cerebral palsy is giving new hope to one West Island family.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.