A man has critical injuries after a stabbing onboard a Toronto subway train during the noon hour on Thursday, officials say.
Toronto police said at around 12:23 p.m., a male victim was located with stab wounds at Eglinton Station, in the area of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue.
A police spokesperson said the stabbing happened onboard a subway train.
Video appearing to show the incident is circulating online, showing two men involved in a physical altercation. A man in a white shirt appears to get stabbed and he runs down the train calling for help, as the apparent suspect follows him.
Panicked subway riders rush to the other end of the train.
“He’s killing him!” one woman yells.
The train then stops at the station and riders get off.
Toronto paramedics told Global News a man was taken to a trauma centre with serious, possibly life-threatening injuries.
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Police said shortly before 4:30 p.m. that the victim was in life-threatening condition.
Speaking to reporters at around 5:30 p.m., on Thursday, Toronto police Insp. Michelle Olszevski said the victim’s status had been upgraded to stable.
Olszevski said it was not immediately clear whether the victim are known to each other, but said investigators believe this was an “isolated incident,” that “is not believed to be at random.”
“It appears that there was a verbal disagreement between the suspect and the victim prior to the stabbing occurring,” Olszevski said.
Trains were temporarily stopped at the station following the stabbing.
Police said the suspect is a male, around five-foot-10 to six-feet tall, who is bald and was wearing a green hoodie, black pants, and black and gold sunglasses.
The Toronto Transit Commission issued a statement shortly before 2 p.m., which said that its thoughts are “with the victim at this uncertain time.”
“Safety of our customers and employees is paramount to all we do,” the statement continued.
“While we don’t have any more information, incidents of violence on TTC property are unacceptable and are of great concern.
“That’s why we’ve invested in additional safety and security initiatives and entered multiple partnerships with the City of Toronto, Toronto police, and community outreach and crisis response professionals.”
The TTC said it will assist Toronto police with the investigation.
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