20-year-old man charged in connection to random Calgary stabbing of woman and child

WARNING: This article contains graphic details that might be disturbing to some readers.

Police continue to investigate an apparent random stabbing in the northwest community of Beddington.

READ MORE: Woman, child stabbed in northwest Calgary 

People living near Bearberry Crescent said they first heard screaming coming from outside their homes at around 7 p.m.

“I initially thought it was my neighbours’ kids but then I just kept hearing this woman scream again and again,” said Allison, who lives next to the crime scene and did not want to give her last name.

“I looked outside and I saw this kid on the ground and he was all bloody. It was just chilling.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I looked outside and I saw this kid on the ground and he was all bloody. It was just chilling."

Neighbours rushed out to find a woman and young boy, believed to be around six years old, in the space between two rows of homes. The pair were found on a paved walking path.

“The boy was covered in blood. The mother was holding him and she had her hand on his back. I think that’s where the wound was. She was also wounded but she was not concerned about herself; she was concerned about her son,” said Minky Leba, a nurse who lives near the scene and attended to the wounded victims.

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Both the child and the woman were taken to hospital in serious but stable condition.

“It looked pretty serious. When the paramedics and ambulance came, the mother finally let go and you could tell she was badly hurt,” Leba said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It looked pretty serious. When the paramedics and ambulance came, the mother finally let go and you could tell she was badly hurt," Leba said.

Others who live near the scene say they saw a man walking into the crime scene just before police took him into custody.

“As he was walking by, I heard him talking to himself. What was surprising is, there were cops and ambulance lights flashing and firemen here… but he just walked right by them and walked right through the yellow tape,” said a man who lives nearby and did not want to be identified.

An unidentified man was located by police a short time later, with the help of witnesses, and taken into custody. According to Calgary police, the suspect did not resist arrest.

On Saturday, police charged John Garang Luka Yag, 20, of Calgary with two counts of attempted murder.

Police say the victims and attacker are not known to each other.

“There is no information to suggest this was a targeted attack,” Staff Sgt. Asif Rashid said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There is no information to suggest this was a targeted attack," Staff Sgt. Asif Rashid said.

“It was in daylight,” Allison said. “Just the thought of ‘That could’ve been me’ was just crazy.”

The incident has left people living in the area concerned for their injured neighbours and worried about the safety of the community.

Police said although the attack was random, it is believed the suspect’s presence in the neighbourhood was not, as he was visiting a home in the area at the time of the incident.

Yag’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.