Another Squamish teen is recovering from a stabbing this week in the third incident of knife-wielding violence in six months.
A 16-year-old Howe Sound Secondary student was transported to Squamish General Hospital in the early morning of Thursday (Oct. 11) with serious stab wounds, one to his abdomen requiring surgery.
RCMP released few details pending an investigation, but confirmed that during a late night out Wednesday, the teenager was with a group youth when he encountered 49-year-old Vancouver Island resident Indrek Muursepp with his own group at the downtown Pavilion. And just after midnight, Squamish RCMP arrived to the scene in response to a 911 call of a person being stabbed on Cleveland Avenue.
"Upon attendance, it was determined that an altercation had occurred between two groups of people at the Pavilion," stated a RCMP news release.
Despite little police cooperation from the victim and alleged assailant, the investigation nonetheless led to Muursepp's arrest, who has since been held in custody on charges of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, and will next appear in court on Wednesday (Oct. 17).
RCMP liaisons address youth violence in outreach programs and local schools, but otherwise, there's little police can do to stop incidents of involving knives, spokesperson Cpl. Dave Ritchie said.
"What we're seeing is that people are carrying articles that may not be a weapon but when they get in a predicament, use them as weapons resulting in a lot of serious incidents or even death," he said.
"There are good reasons why people carry pocketknives... They're not illegal to possess, but if you use them in any manner that becomes a weapon we will seize it."
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the police at 604-892-6100.
