Attempted murder charge may follow stabbing
[attach]7171[/attach]A man on his way to work who was stabbed in the face at a Forest Hill bus stop early on the morning of Oct. 27 was mere inches from death, according to police.
The 28-year-old victim was waiting for an eastbound bus at Eglinton Avenue West and Gardiner Road, just west of Spadina Road. His assailant approached him from behind and, while holding a knife, demanded he hand over his valuables. When he refused he was pushed to the ground and kicked in the mouth, knocking out “one or two” teeth, according to Staff-Sgt. Suzanne Pinto at 13 Division. The assailant might have attempted to choke the victim before stabbing him in the face, she said.
“They’re looking at some very serious charges once they catch this guy,” she said, acknowledging that attempted murder could be warranted.
Police believe the attacker might have struck before.
Pinto, whose division’s major crime unit is jointly investigating the case along with the same unit in 53 Division, said that while the description of the suspect is vague — male, black, about 5-foot-10, 24–25 years old with a thin build and wearing a light blue hoodie and dark khaki pants — police are investigating possible connections to other incidents.
“We’re looking at one, at least one other in the month,” she said, referring to October, and adding that it occurred in 53 Division. “I can say it was probably the middle of the month.”
Two violent incidents involving a man demanding cash occurred in midtown in October.
In an Oct. 9 incident between Erskine and Broadway avenues that occurred just before 11 p.m. a man shoved a 32-year-old woman violently from behind. The man demanded money and the woman handed over her purse. She was taken to hospital with minor injuries. There was no description of the suspect in this case beyond simply male.
Ten days later, a 15-year-old boy was victimized near Lascelles Boulevard and Wilberton Road, just south of Oriole Park.
Just before 11:30 p.m., the teen was approached from behind by a man holding a knife. The suspect put the knife to the teen’s throat and then took his wallet and cellphone.
The teen wasn’t hurt and the suspect ran off.
The suspect was described as male, black, about 5-foot-11 to 6-feet, 25–30 years old, with a thin build and short black hair.
While the victim in the bus stop stabbing is recovering, his injuries were “very serious”, police said.
“The injuries to his jaw, it makes it almost impossible for him to talk anyway just due to the broken teeth and the way the knife entered his face,” Pinto said. “It looks like it was near the eye area but to the side of his face and may have penetrated the wall to his brain, but I’ve heard it also slashed through his sinuses.”
Despite the victim’s injuries, he left the bus stop and went home before calling police, which is how two separate divisions became involved. Spadina Road happens to act as a border between 53 and 13 divisions.
“The victim actually lives in 53 (Division), called police from his home in 53, and then we found out it happened in 13,” she said. “They handled the stabbing … They helped us out with it greatly.”
