Calgary police are investigating an assault in Sunalta that left a person with serious injuries. At 7 a.m. on Tuesday, police were called to 16 Street and 12 Avenue S.W. They found a person who had been attacked with a weapon. The victim was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition but has since been upgraded to stable condition. Police arrested a person at the scene. Acting Insp. Mike Anderson said the victim was stabbed. “Anytime we have incidents like this in a residential community, it is very concerning for us,” Anderson said. “I don’t know what this was in relation to this morning; our detectives are still looking into that.” Police have no information about the relationship between the two individuals, if any. Joseph Ewitat, who lives in the area, says a lot of homeless Calgarians are flowing into the community from the nearby train station. “They use this park as a place to stay. I wouldn’t say the homeless people are dangerous, but they come with habits that come and endanger our community.” Some of those habits, Ewitat says, include property damage and disorder. He says the municipal and provincial governments need to do more to provide shelter space and supports for those homeless populations. “A lot of the guys out here, it’s mostly addiction. It’s the addiction that’s holding them back from moving forward in life.” Ewitat says the situation has made the community feel unsafe. He doesn’t like to come out at night and if he sees his neighbours outside, he always comes out to help them. “A lot of the time you see a bunch of dudes walking around, up to no good. A lot of them carry weapons, which is the most terrifying thing.” Anderson says Calgary is a safe city, but he understands that when there are incidents, it is concerning for residents. “They have the right to be concerned about that. I’d be concerned.” The investigation is ongoing.
