High school stabbing came during ‘pre-arranged’ fight

Police say a stabbing that left one Leaside High School student with stitches and another facing four charges on Wednesday came during a “pre-arranged” fight.

“What we can see, it was a pre-arranged meeting at the [baseball] diamond between two youths having a discussion about a problem they had between each other,” Det. Jamie McCormack, of 53 Division, told the Town Crier this morning. “They met to fight, basically.”

The fight occurred just before noon in Howard Talbot Park, beside the Hanna Road school. A dispute between two 16-year-olds had “arisen lately at school,” McCormack said.

Police allege the accused, who can not be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pulled a knife and swung it at the other student, striking him in the left shoulder blade.

He was arrested shortly afterward at the Bayview and Eglinton-area school, with help from students who had witnessed the fight and from staff. McCormack said the accused is new to the school, having transferred there in the last couple of weeks.

He is charged with assault with a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, weapons dangerous, and failing to comply with an undertaking.

The latter charge stems from a previous charge. McCormack would not disclose the details of that charge, though did say it involved a weapon and the accused was under conditions imposed by youth court not to possess any weapons.

“We’re alleging that he breached one of those conditions from a previous charge,” McCormack said.

The victim was treated for his wound in hospital and released.