The suspect involved in an alleged axe attack that prompted an emergency alert in the Thorburn, N.S. area has been arrested.
The RCMP said shortly before noon that the suspect, 61-year-old John Douglas Cress, was safely arrested and the alert has been cancelled.
The alert was issued to Pictou, Antigonish and Colchester Counties shortly after 10 a.m., warning of a “dangerous man armed with an axe” and advised residents of Thorburn to shelter in place.
It said a person was injured in an assault with an axe at a home on Greenwood Street. Cress and the victim were known to each other, police said.
The suspect had fled into the woods and was believed to be travelling on foot.
After Cress was arrested, police said they will remain in the area to continue with their investigation.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall told Global News the victim was an 88-year-old woman, but would not say how she and Cress were known to each other.
As of Monday afternoon, her injuries were considered life-threatening, he said.