Violent spree

Four people were injured, one seriously, when a 29-year-old-man allegedly armed with a knife went on a violent rampage at a Cumberland Street apartment.

Thunder Bay Police Service officers responded to a disturbance at the Andras Court apartment around 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Police say the man allegedly stabbed a 77-year-old-woman near the entrance to her apartment. The accused then allegedly attacked three other people.  Police say they found one victim who was stabbed in a stairwell.

Police say the accused armed with an edged weapon then left the building and confronted an officer. The officer created some space and the accused attempted to drive away in a police cruiser. Additional help arrived and an officer used a stun gun to subdue him and took him into custody.

Paramedics rushed the 77-year-old-woman to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Police say she is in serious condition.

Police later charged the man with several offences including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, uttering a threat, resisting a peace officer and theft over $5,000.

Thunder Bay spokesman Chris Adams said rampage was a good word to describe what happened. The accused was a resident of the building and lived on the fourth floor. The man was acting erratically and was going door-to-door allegedly assaulting other tenants, he said.

“It’s a tough situation. It’s tough on the residents, the victims and also the officers,” Adams said. “It ended safely at the end but needless to say a very tragic situation. The 77-year-old victim is still in hospital and she is in very serious condition so we will be continuing to monitor her progress.”

Adams said some residents on the fourth floor might be displaced as the floor is considered a crime scene.

John Tavares, 57, has lived in the building for about eight years. He said the apartment complex has a poor security system and forces everyone to watch his or her backs.

“At one time this was a very nice place to live,” Tavares said. “The way the buildings are situated there’s a hidden one way so a lot of things go on late at night. There’s always some screaming and some yelling, people breaking in and throwing stuff out their windows. Some of the tenants here are scared for their lives. The police are constantly here. We really need security here.”

Tavares said he knew the woman that went to the hospital and hoped for her recovery.

One man, who didn’t give his name, said he has lived in the building since 2004 and that crime, drugs and scam artists are an increasing problem in the area.

‘It’s unsafe for seniors,” he said.

But not all residents agree that the area wasn't safe.

Gladys Tinsley has lived in the building for more than six years and she said she believed the area was safe and disagreed that the area was getting worse.

When she walked out of the building this morning, she said she was surprised to see all the police.

“I thought it must be really bad,” the 90-year-old-woman said. “Somebody must have been murdered or something.”