Edmonton teen, 13, attacked by a man swinging a knife while walking home from school
A 13-year-old boy was attacked by a man with a weapon while he was walking home from school in north Edmonton Monday, an incident that was caught on camera.
“I was walking peacefully all by myself, then suddenly I just get jumped by an adult holding a knife on my stomach,” the boy said in an interview Thursday afternoon.
CTV News Edmonton has agreed to withhold his identity for safety reasons.
Video of the apparent attack shows the teen walking down the sidewalk at about 3:15 p.m. in the Kildare neighbourhood, when a man in an orange shirt began swinging his right arm at him.
The teen scrambled to get away, falling on the sidewalk and rolling onto the street.
The video appears to show the man pursuing and standing over him with his arm in the air.
Yelling can be heard on the video, but it’s not clear what’s being said. Someone then started blaring a car horn.
The video cuts out with the man appearing to still be standing over the teen.
The teen said the man ran away because witnesses were honking and yelling.
“He wouldn’t have run, if it wasn’t for them,” he believes. “I’m very shocked right now. Every time I hear there’s a knock on the door, I get scared.”
The boy was not stabbed, but said he was left bruised from falling down during the incident.
MAN ARRESTED AND CHARGED
A 20-year-old-man named Silas Parsons was arrested near the scene shortly after the attack, Edmonton police confirmed Thursday.
The victim provided video of a tactical team surrounding a home.
An armoured vehicle is seen parked on the front lawn, as several officers stand behind it for cover. At one point the video captures an apparent flashbang device used by officers.
“Silas, we know you’re inside the residence,” an officer is heard over a loudspeaker.
“Your house is surrounded. The only way that I can ensure your safety is for you to exit the front door of your house with nothing in your hands and follow all verbal direction.”
Parsons was charged with possession of a weapon, assault with a weapon and assault of a police officer.
FAMILY STILL SCARED
The boy said he hasn’t gone to school since the incident.
“I’m still scared even to go into my backyard.”
The boy’s father said he’s attempting to get a restraining order against the accused, because he believes officials have already released him back into the neighbourhood pending future court dates.
“It’s a miserable situation. Since that incident, all of us are sleeping in the same bedroom,” he said. “I don’t know how come this happened. To be honest, even as an adult, I’m concerned about my safety and my family’s safety.”
The mother of the man who was charged also spoke to CTV News Edmonton.
She said her son has a mental health disorder, and she believes funding cuts resulting in fewer visits from a case worker have led him to self medicate.
None of the charges against Parsons have been proven in court.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s David Ewasuk
Correction
A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the teen as a girl, when in fact the alleged victim is a boy. We apologize for this error.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.