The Edmonton Police Service has released photos of suspects they are looking for in connection with a violent attack on a man on the ground level of the Churchill LRT platform last month.
In a news release issued Wednesday, police said there are six suspects.
According to the EPS, a 64-year-old man was waiting for a train at the LRT platform at about 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 24. Investigators believe the man was approached by a male suspect and the two had “a brief verbal exchange which resulted in the suspect attacking, … knocking him to the ground and violently assaulting him.”
“Five other suspects also reportedly joined the attack, robbing the man prior to fleeing the scene,” the EPS said. “EMS attended and transported the man to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.”
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he is hearing from Edmontonians who don’t feel safe using the transit system. He said the city is doing “all that is necessary” to try to improve safety on public transit.
“We are investing a lot of resources in safety, improving funding for police, improving funding for transit security officers, as well as investing in social workers to direct people to services and programs,” the mayor said Wednesday.
“The number of police officers and transit security teams have gone up from zero to four teams now, from 2023 to now.”
Sohi added the root cause of violence and disorder stems from a lack of housing, a lack of mental health support, a lack of addictions recovery and deteriorating social infrastructure.
“Yes, we have experienced ongoing violence and disruption and crime on our system but we will continue to invest in the safety to make our transit system safer for everyone,” he said, adding it will take time for safety to improve.
“Any violent incident absolutely leaves an impression in people’s mind and it’s a very serious concern that people are still worried about their safety in public places.”
Anyone who has information about the whereabouts of any of the suspects described below is asked to call the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.
One suspect was described as being about 20 to 25 years old. He is about six feet tall with a slim build and has black hair and a light moustache. He was wearing a white hat with a black “Playboy” logo, a black jacket, black jeans, red and black running shoes and was carrying a black or brown backpack. Police said was armed with pepper spray.
A photo of the first suspect can be viewed below.
A second suspect was described as being about 30 years old. He is about five-foot-seven to five-foot-nine with a slim build and has hair dyed blond. He was wearing a black jacket, ripped blue jeans and black shoes. He was carrying an over-the-shoulder bag at the time of the attack.
A photo of the second suspect can be viewed below.
A third suspect was described as being about 30 to 40 years old. He is about five-foot-seven to five-foot-nine with a slim build. He was wearing a black face mask, a black hat with a cannabis leaf on the front, a black and orange scarf, a black jacket with a “Jordan” logo on the front, dark blue jeans and dark grey shoes. He was carrying a grey backpack and riding a light grey-coloured bicycle at the time of the assault
A fourth suspect is described as having a medium build. Police did not describe their gender. They were wearing a black hat and a white puffy jacket with a maroon or purple scarf, black pants and white running shoes with no laces. They were carrying a black backpack.
A fifth suspect is described as being a woman 25 to 30 years old. She has a medium build and shoulder-length, straight brown hair. At the time of the attack, she was wearing a brown sweater, teal baggy pants and white running shoes. She was carrying a black and white blanket or piece of clothing.
A photo showing the third, fourth and fifth suspect can be viewed below.
Police said arrest warrants have already been issued for a sixth suspect. They said Travis Damian Houle, 35, is facing charges of aggravated assault, robbery and failure to comply with a probation order.
— with files from Caley Gibson, Global News.
Comments