By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

motivations unknown

Three stabbed, including police officer, in Red Deer’s downtown

Mar 19, 2024 | 10:19 AM

UPDATED – 4:30 p.m., March 19, 2024

RCMP in Red Deer say multiple suspected stabbings were the cause of a heavy police presence in the area of 50 Avenue and 52 Street, on the edge of the city’s downtown, Monday evening.

An initial report came in just after 4:30 p.m., with witnesses reporting that a victim had been attacked by an unknown suspect who’d fled the scene. The victim was taken to hospital with serious life-threatening injuries.

Red Deer RCMP deployed all available resources to the area to tend to the victim and locate the suspect.

Within minutes, officers located the suspect and attempted an arrest near 51 Avenue and 48 Street. RCMP say the suspect ran and was chased down.

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During the arrest, it’s alleged that the suspect stabbed one officer multiple times and bit another. The suspect was subdued and arrested. The injured officer was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and has since been released.

RCMP say that while all this was happening, members were made aware of another stabbing victim in the area of 48 Avenue and 50 Street, also downtown. That victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, then was treated and released.

Cpl. Troy Savinkoff says the investigation is heavily focused on trying to determine the individual’s motivations.

“It appears that there is a randomness to it, and we don’t believe the individual knew the victims. Right now, it doesn’t appear to have been targeted,” says Savinkoff. “It’s hard to predict what the individual may have done, but in a short amount of time, he did [allegedly] stab two people [plus the police officer] and we don’t have any indication that he knew them. Intervention may have prevented additional people from being injured.”

Adds Savinkoff: “We were able to respond to this concern of an active threat within a very short amount of time. RCMP are well-equipped to deal with any kind of emergencies, especially in downtown.”

Savinkoff confirms RCMP are linking the stabbings to the same person, also noting that the weapon is believed to be a knife (the length and size of which are undisclosed).

RCMP have charged Red Deer resident (of no fixed address), Randall Andrew Cardinal, 34, with:

• Aggravated assault of Peace Officer
• Assaulting Peace Officer causing bodily harm
• Aggravated assault (x2)
• Assault with a weapon
• Possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose
• Assaulting Peace Officer with intent to resist arrest (x2)
• Resist peace officer in execution of his duty
• Carrying concealed weapon

“Our officers were able to respond to this incident and locate the suspect in less than 10 minutes,” adds Superintendent Holly Glassford, Detachment Commander of the Red Deer RCMP. “The injuries to our officers highlight the dangers that police face when responding to emerging and dangerous threats that repeat offenders pose to our communities.”

Cardinal has been taken before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody with his next court date set for March 20 at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer.

rdnewsNOW will have more information on this story as it becomes available.

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