Two teenage girls arrested after SkyTrain stabbing rampage

Two teenage girls, who police are calling “prolific offenders,” are facing criminal charges after they allegedly went on a stabbing rampage with a steak knife on SkyTrain Monday night in Surrey, New Westminster and Vancouver.

Three people were injured in the attacks, none seriously.

Transit police spokeswoman Anne Drennan said the two girls are prolific offenders well known to law enforcement, with a total of 142 run-ins with police over the past 15 months.

“Those offences range from everything from fare evasion to robbery,” Drennan said. “They get arrested and charged, but what typically happens is they’re released on conditions.

“It’s extremely frustrating — we have asked this time around that at least the juvenile that used the knife be remanded in custody.”

The two girls, ages 14 and 15, are from Vancouver and often travel through the transit system, allegedly recruiting other teens to help them cause trouble Drennan said.

“They are part of what we call a loosely organized group of young people who (allegedly) commit crimes and very often commit them along the transit system,” she added.

Monday’s attacks began around 11:30 p.m. when two young women were approached by the two girls, across the street from Gateway station in Surrey, Drennan said.

“There doesn’t appear to be any motive here at all.”

An argument erupted, said Drennan and one of the women was slashed on the arm with an eight-inch steak knife. After the woman was stabbed, the two suspects chased the other woman onto SkyTrain and confronted her with the knife, said Drennan, adding that a SkyTrain seat was also slashed in the melee.

When the suspects and woman got off the train at Columbia station in New Westminster, police say the woman was punched in the face by one of the teenage girls.

The two girls then got back on SkyTrain and got off at Joyce station in Vancouver where Drennan says they stabbed a man holding a pizza box. She said the man defended himself with the pizza box and only suffered a small cut on his hand.

The suspects fled and were arrested by Transit police a short distance from Joyce station, Drennan said none of the victims knew the suspects.

The girls are in custody and face numerous charges, including assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public.

Transit police are looking for witnesses and ask anyone who may have seen something to call them at 604-515-8300.