Man charged with murder, aggravated assault in north Edmonton stabbings

The 25-year-old man who was arrested in connection with a number of random stabbings in north Edmonton on Wednesday has been charged.

What police have called a “dynamic” and “chaotic” situation started around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, when officers said a man first approached a 32-year-old woman at a bus stop in the area of Hermitage Road and Henry Avenue NW and stabbed her.

A second woman, who police said is 41 years old, was stabbed moments later in her tent, which was only a short distance away in a wooded area, according to police.

Both women were treated and taken to hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries.

Then, police said 38-year-old Brian Berland was fatally stabbed. He was out walking with his sister and her dog at the time.

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Police said an autopsy completed earlier Friday determined Berland’s cause of death to be multiple stab wounds. His death has been ruled homicide.

People in the Homesteader neighbourhood were told to shelter in place for several hours Wednesday as police searched for the suspect. He was arrested in the area of 50 Street and 122 Avenue around 6 p.m.

Clarence Lawrence, 25, has been charged with second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

Police continue to seek information about the violent series of events.

Anyone with information on the stabbings is asked to contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.