Woman in custody, charges pending following Lions Park LRT station stabbing
Calgary police say they've arrested a woman in connection with a stabbing at the Lions Park LRT station that stemmed from a fight between several people.
Charges against the woman are pending.
Officers with the CPS district operations team responded around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, and discovered two women suffering from apparent stab wounds and a third woman injured as well.
One of the injured women was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition.
The other two were also taken to hospital, but their conditions were not considered life-threatening.
The latter two women have since been released from hospital, police say.
Police have not released the name of or details about the woman arrested.
But police did say on Wednesday the women involved in Tuesday night's altercation all knew each other.
"Public spaces need to be safe for the public and this type of violent behaviour will not be tolerated," CPS Superintendent Cliff O'Brien said in Wednesday's release.
PUBLIC TRANSIT SAFETY CONCERNS
Some transit riders who regularly use Lions Park LRT station weren't all that surprised by this latest incident.
"I've seen many people shooting up heroin. I've been seeing people with needles out in the station," Richard Clement said.
"I've been looking to take self-defence courses for stabbings because that is the thing I'm mostly seeing in the news nowadays."
Tristin Otteson says he usually feels safe on transit but this recent violence has made him want to be more cautious.
"Just my social awareness and watching how other people are behaving," he said.
Mike Mahar, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583, says safety concerns have reached a critical stage for both riders and operators.
"Another day, another major, life-threatening incident on the system. There's just no end to it," he said.
Mahar says transit operators aren't trained or qualified to intervene when there is violence, adding they do what they can to help passengers, often putting themselves in harm's way.
"The system doesn't exist without the public, and everyone has to be able to use that system safety," he said.
Mahar says the partnership between Alberta sheriffs and Calgary police to patrol the city's downtown helps, but he wants more sustainable solutions.
"For those that are a criminal element, they need to treat them harsher and not tolerate the criminal portion of it. For those that need help, they need to provide that help," he said.
The city says it has increased its transit peace officers by 25 per cent, has added security guards at several stations where concerns have been reported and has put in more security cameras.
One city councillor wants to take it a step further with a "closed" system.
"Where we could actually have physical barriers and a fare gate that will maybe not allow just free back and forth access to our transit systems," said Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean.
"We've allowed people to use transit as a place for recreational drug use, to put it simply, or a place to stay warm, which is unfortunate, but that is not what transit is designed for. We should have been clamping down on it sooner."
Mayor Jyoti Gondek released a statement on Wednesday, saying low ridership during the pandemic made the transit system a target for illegal activity, but the problem isn't getting any better.
She has called on administration for immediate action and for additional resources to be deployed.
"We cannot wait for the next tragedy to occur before something more is done. As a municipal government, we must provide better transit safety for Calgarians," the statement said.
"Transit is an essential service at the core of any major city and people should not have to think twice before using it."
The city says transit riders can report concerns on their route by texting 74100 in real time.
There are also help phones at all C-Train stations, platforms and MAX Purple Stations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.