19-year-old faces attempted murder charge in random stabbing at London train crossing

A 19-year-old London, Ont., man is facing multiple charges in relation to an apparent random stabbing at a downtown train crossing earlier this week.

The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday on Richmond Street just south of Piccadilly Street, police said.

According to police, an unknown person allegedly entered the vehicle of a man who had been waiting for a train to pass, stabbed him multiple times and then fled.

The victim was transported to hospital where he remained Thursday in critical condition.

The incident is believed to be random, and there is no indication the pair were known to each other, police said.

Police announced on Wednesday that a suspect had been taken into custody that afternoon in connection with the investigation.

In a subsequent update, police said officers responded to the area of Southdale and Wellington roads around 2:10 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report that the suspect was on a city bus.

The accused was taken into custody without incident, police said, however they allege he assaulted a London police cadet while at the London police headquarters detention unit, causing minor injuries.

Jose Nathan Lopes-Cajina, 19, of London, faces a charge of attempted murder and assaulting a peace officer, police said.

Cajina made a court appearance by video on Thursday from London police headquarters.

In handcuffs and flanked by two London police cadets, the 19-year-old was remanded into custody and ordered not to contact nine people considered witnesses in the case.

He’s scheduled to return to court by video on March 29.

In January, Lopes-Cajina was sentenced for aggravated assault in connection with a weapons investigation in Woodstock, Ont. on Feb. 8, 2022.

According to court documents, he received time served with two years probation, and was issued a weapons prohibition for 20 years.