Citizens assist police during two random stabbing incidents

Passersby helped police during two separate stabbing incidents in just over five hours.

The first incident occurred at 4:36 p.m. when a man attacked the victim while he slept in his tent in a wooded area near the southbound ramp to Highway 400.

After being violently awakened, the suspect was chased by the victim westbound onto Bayfield Street and then south to Highway 400 northbound off-ramp, where the suspect was seen to have placed an object on the ground.

As this incident unfolded, passersby became involved in assisting police.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device 
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

Upon arrival at the Highway 400 northbound off-ramp to Bayfield Street, police received details that led them to the former site of the YMCA near Grove Street West.

At the same time, the victim was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for a serious, but non-life-threatening injury.

Police located the suspect on Peel Street at 5:36 p.m. and took him into custody without incident. He was transported to police headquarters, where the investigation continued.

The accused, of no fixed address, was charged with aggravated assault and is scheduled to appear Wednesday for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice located in Barrie.

The second incident occurred at 9:59 p.m., when a man walking his dog in the Dunlop and Owen streets area became involved in an argument with an unknown man who stabbed him and the dog.

The dog was treated for an injury, and the victim was transported to a local hospital, where he is receiving ongoing treatment for a stab wound.

The suspect is still at large. He is described as a Black male wearing a gray-coloured hoodie, dark shorts, and running shoes. He was last seen running south on Owen Street.

The Barrie Police Service wishes to thank the public in both incidents yesterday. They provided officers with valuable information that ultimately led to the recovery of key evidence, the arrest of the person responsible in the first incident, and a description of the suspect sought in the second incident.