Student arrested after at least 4 stabbed at Canada school

PICKERING, Ontario – A female high school student is in custody after eight people were stabbed at a high school east of Toronto, police said Tuesday. All the injuries are minor.

Durham Regional Police Sgt. Bill Calder said officers were called to Dunbarton High School in Pickering, Ontario Tuesday morning after a report about a female waving a knife around. He said six students and two staff members sustained minor injuries. Calder said four were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

"There are different areas of the school where the assaults took place," Calder said. "It seems to be a random attack."

Two staff members tackled the student and held her until police arrived, he said.

Police have not released the name or age of the student taken into custody but Calder said she is in the younger grades.

Calder said charges are pending, but would not comment specifically on which ones she might face.

The school remains in lockdown as police continue to investigate, Calder said, adding that more details are expected later in the day.               

Zakyr Rhemtulla, a first year student, said he was faced with chaos from the moment he arrived at school this morning. He said as soon as he opened the front door, he saw students running in all directions.

"I'm like `oh, what's happening,"' he said. "So I just kept on walking and some teacher told me, `oh, come into this room.' So I ran into the room. They locked the door, closed the curtains, turned the lights off."

Rhemtulla and a few other students remained in the classroom while the school was in lockdown and police combed the property for evidence. He said the initial shock of the situation eased up as students monitored social media and learned that no one appeared to be in danger.

Violence at schools is rare in Canada. However, a 17-year-old shot and killed four people at a school and home in an aboriginal community in Saskatchewan last month. The school in La Loche, Saskatchewan reopened Tuesday.