An 18-year-old student has been rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition after a stabbing outside of a Scarborough alternative school.
Police responded to the stabbing just after 11 a.m. Thursday at the South East Year Round Alternative Centre, which also houses the Scarborough Centre for Alternative Studies, in the area of Midland Avenue and Wolfe Avenue.
Toronto District School Board spokesman Ryan Bird said the victim is an 18-year-old male student who has since been rushed to hospital with several stab wounds.
The TDSB tweeted that the stabbing took place on school property outside the building.
Police described the suspect as a black male, aged 18 to 20 years old, wearing a red hoodie, dark pants, carrying a grey-and-black backpack.
Const. David Hopkinson said the school was briefly placed in lockdown which has since been lifted as police expand their search for the alleged stabber and try to quell what he described as a public risk.
“One guy stabbed another guy and he’s loose,” Hopkinson said. “That, to me, is a public safety issue.”
Police did not offer a motive for the stabbing and are continuing to investigate. A portion of Midland Avenue has been blocked off to traffic for the investigation.
Thursday’s incident is the second serious high school stabbing in Ontario so far this year.
In February, a 14-year-old girl allegedly went through the halls of her high school in Pickering wielding a knife and leaving five students and two staff members with injuries that were not considered serious.
The teen is now facing a total of 17 criminal charges including six counts of assault causing bodily harm and nine counts of assault with a weapon.
With files from The Canadian Press