Still on the loose, the person who stabbed people on the train caused chaos
Toronto police say that a man in his 30s who was stabbed on a moving TTC subway car near Eglinton station on Thursday is in stable condition in the hospital.
Duty Insp. Michelle Olszevski, a spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, told reporters outside the station that the suspect ran away from the station and hasn’t been caught yet.
Police think that the stabbing was not random and that there was an argument before the violence.
“This doesn’t seem to be a coincidence. “This is an isolated case, and it looks like the suspect and the victim had a disagreement before the stabbing,” she said.
Shortly after 12:20 p.m., police were called to Eglinton station. When police arrived, they saw that the victim had been stabbed several times.
Through an emergency run, Toronto paramedics took the man to a nearby trauma center. At first, his condition was listed as “life-threatening.”
Olszevski said that police from 53 Division and forensic identification services, along with TTC security, are at the scene looking into what happened, watching video, and gathering evidence.
She said that police are aware that a video of the crime and the suspect is being shared on social media.
Many people who saw the stabbing have talked to the police, and she said that anyone else who has video or who saw the stabbing should contact the police.
Olszevski said that the police are worried about the safety of the TTC.
“I can tell you that the Toronto Police Service cares about the safety of all of its citizens, including TTC riders. Even though TTC security is mostly in charge of security on the transit system, we do help them and respond to all calls for service and emergencies on the transit system,” she said.
She also said that the police do regular shifts in the transit system and take the safety of riders very seriously.
As of 6 p.m., trains were no longer stopping at Eglinton station, and the stabbing has stopped service on Line 1 between Lawrence and Davisville stations. Instead of subway trains, shuttle buses have been running.
The transit agency said that all bus service at the Eglinton station has been moved to St. Clair.
Violence on TTC property is “unacceptable,” the company says
Stuart Green, a spokesman for the TTC, said that the agency found out Thursday afternoon that a person who had been stabbed had been found inside the Eglinton station.
“In this uncertain time, our thoughts are with the person who was hurt,” Green said.
“The safety of our clients and employees is the most important thing we do. Even though we don’t have any more details, violence on TTC property is unacceptable and very worrying.
Green said that the TTC is helping the police investigate the stabbing by giving them information.
He also said that the TTC has put money into more safety and security measures and made partnerships with the city, police, community outreach, and crisis response officials because safety is a top priority.
Saya Sedighi, a master’s student at the University of Toronto in the department of molecular genetics, said that at 12:20 p.m., she walked into the Eglinton station and went downstairs to get on a southbound train to go downtown.
She said, “Once the door opened, a lot of people ran out.”
“We were trying to get in, but people were yelling from the outside, ‘Don’t get in, someone’s got something!'” she said. “But we didn’t really hear them because it’s hard to hear what people are saying on the TTC.”
“Then we all ran out, thinking that everything was fine. We were just waiting for the train to move, and when it did, we rushed in and out again. We just didn’t know what was going on, so it was very confusing.”
Then some people on the bus told her that someone had been stabbed, she said,
Sedighi said that people who were on the bus didn’t know what was going on until the police and paramedics got there. The transit riders were told by the police that they had to leave the station. She also said that neither the police nor the TTC had tweeted in at least 15 minutes.
She said, “It wasn’t very clear how to get there, when to get there, what shuttle buses to take, or what was going on.”
Violence on the TTC is “very scary,” says a rider
Sedighi said that she takes the TTC twice a day and that violent incidents are “very scary.”
She said, “Honestly, it makes me feel like TTC isn’t as easy to use as people think it is.”
“Either you live another day, or you get stabbed on TTC, or you get a car, and it’s not that easy. It makes me feel like TTC isn’t as safe as it used to be and that nothing is being done about it.
The suspect was between 5’10” and 6′ tall, bald, and wore a green hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, and black and gold sunglasses, according to the police.
Anyone who saw the stabbing or knows something that could help the investigation should call the police.