U.S. man pleads guilty to 3 charges in 2015 downtown Toronto machete attack

An American man charged with carrying out an unprovoked machete attack on a stranger in downtown Toronto in December 2015 has pleaded guilty to three of four charges, subject to whether or not he is found criminally responsible.

Arlington Thompson, 35, of Queens, N.Y., appeared before Madam Justice Heather McArthur in a Toronto court Monday and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The guilty plea came on the morning a weeklong trial was set to begin.

The incident occurred on Dec. 23, 2015, when police responded to a call about a man armed with a knife at Bay and Dundas streets at around 4:30 p.m.

READ MORE: U.S. man charged with attempted murder after downtown Toronto machete attack

According to an agreed statement of facts, Thompson struck a then-30-year-old victim — who was crossing the intersection at the time — two to three times in the back of the head with the machete. The victim initially thought he might have been struck by a drone, but turned around to find Thompson holding the weapon.

Prior to being struck, police said at the time there was no interaction between the two men. The victim then attempted to run away from Thompson but he followed, continuing to slash at him with a machete, according to court documents.

As he was running away, the victim fell to the ground where he was struck on the hands and legs.

Video surveillance shown in court showed Thompson pursuing the victim with the machete as dozens of bystanders looked on.

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At one point, a Good Samaritan is seen attempting to distract Thompson, which is when Thompson walked towards him and swung the machete narrowly missing his face. The victim then fled inside the Atrium at the Bay shopping plaza where he asked for help.

A security guard is then seen on camera exiting the building and tackling Thompson to the ground. Two other knives were also found on Thompson, but they were not used in the attack.

Thompson was escorted out of court Monday while the surveillance video was shown after his lawyer, Shaunna Kelly, told the judge he has post traumatic stress disorder after being shot in 2000. Kelly said she was concerned seeing the video again would upset him and the judge granted her request.

Court heard the victim was taken to hospital and treated for a laceration to the top of his head that required 12 staples, a seven-centimetre long cut to the back of his right leg that required stitches and various cuts and scrapes to his hands.

VIDEO: Arlington Thompson, 35, charged with attempted murder in downtown machete attack (Dec. 23, 2015)

Outside court, Toronto Police Det. Angela Theriault told Global News it was fortunate more people weren’t injured or killed. She said the victim who was attacked is happy to put the incident behind him.

Since being in jail, Thompson has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He told medical professionals who have treated or assessed him that he was hearing voices and that he could not fully comprehend how he ended up in jail.

Thompson said he has no memory of the attack itself but has reviewed the surveillance video and confirmed he is the individual who attacked the victim and the Good Samaritan.

He will be back in court in October at which time results are expected from his psychiatric assessment and victim impact statements will be delivered.