An Ottawa high school was on lockdown for several hours Monday morning after a student was stabbed and another person was seriously injured during an altercation.
Police say they responded to Hillcrest Secondary School on Dauphin Road, near the Ottawa Hospital General Campus, at approximately 9:10 am.
A boy in his twenties was attacked with a knife, Ottawa paramedics say. He suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital in stable condition.
Police say a second person is in serious but stable condition. Paramedics say they went to a local hospital alone. It is unclear if they attended school.
In an update, police said a young suspect was arrested when officers arrived and three others were detained during a search of the school.
No charges have been announced. The suspects cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) says there was an altercation inside the school and confirmed the boy was a student.
“School staff immediately contacted emergency services and police and paramedics responded. The school management team activated a school lockdown procedure to ensure students and staff were safe,” a spokesperson said in an email.
The lockdown was lifted around 1 pm and Hillcrest moved into safe school mode.
A ninth-grade student told CTV News she arrived shortly after 9 a.m. when classes started and found the school closed.
“I’m terrified, I’m scared and I feel really bad for the people who were hurt and for the people who are trapped inside,” she said.
“I’m shocked that this is happening here and it’s a terrifying experience for some people and probably traumatizing.”
Another 11th grade student said he saw paramedics carrying a person out of the building.
“I saw someone come on a stretcher and there were police, ambulances and paramedics escorting him outside,” he said.
“I hope that guy is okay.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Ottawa Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to contact the Eastern Criminal Investigation Section at 613-236-1222, extension 3566.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppers.ca.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Kimberley Johnson
