School locked down after 16-year-old boy stabbed
People are seen leaving the front door of Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute after a student was stabbed Friday. The school was locked down for five hours.
RICHARD LAUTENS No suspects were found.
Police said the boy was knifed in the stomach around 2:30 p.m. Friday at the high school near Danforth and Donlands Aves.
He was taken to hospital and underwent surgery. Police said he was in serious but stable condition.
The school was locked down as the Emergency Task Force searched classrooms for suspects and witnesses. The mood outside was tense as streets were cordoned off and parents gathered to wait for their children.
Police were seeking four to six male suspects, one armed with a knife and another with a handgun, said Const. Victor Kwong. The victim was not cooperating with police, he added.
The building also houses a daycare with 44 children and eight staff. They were released around 5:50 p.m. under police escort to a nearby church, where parents retrieved them.
The school, which has about 500 students, is equipped with 39 security cameras.
“The cameras will be essential to our investigation,” Kwong said.
Toronto District School Board spokeswoman Shari Schwartz-Maltz said students were not able to access their lockers Friday evening because of the police investigation. The school will be open from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday so students can retrieve their belongings.
