A man who was shot by police after allegedly stabbing an officer in Toronto’s west end last week is facing a slew of charges, including multiple counts of attempted murder.
The incident happened near College Street and Lansdowne Avenue outside a Tim Hortons around 1:30 p.m. Friday, when police responded to a call for a person in crisis.
When they arrived, officers attempted to apprehend a man under the Mental Health Act, but a struggle ensued and an officer was stabbed. The man was then shot with both a firearm and a conducted energy weapon, or Taser.
The SIU, Ontario’s police watchdog, has invoked its mandate to investigate, as is the case whenever someone is seriously hurt or killed when police officers are involved.
A spokesperson for Toronto police confirmed Monday that a 27-year-old man is facing a total of 10 charges. They include:
- Two counts of attempted murder.
- Two counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon.
- One count of aggravated assault against a peace officer.
- One count of dangerous weapons.
- Four counts of failing to comply with release order.
Both the injured officer and the accused suffered non-life threatening injuries and were in stable condition at the hospital on Friday.
The stabbing was the third time a Toronto police officer was injured in the line of duty last week.