Airdrie RCMP say a youth has been charged following an incident that led to a lockdown at three local schools. At 12:30 p.m. on March 17, a confrontation occurred between two youths at the McDonald’s restaurant on Edmonton Trail in Airdrie. Though the incident was not reported to authorities, police say the victim was “robbed of personal property.” No one was injured as a result. At 12:40 p.m. the following day, the victim and a group of friends confronted the youth at the same McDonald’s. During the interaction, police said the youth pulled out a machete from his waistband and waved it at the group. No one was injured, but an employee called 911 and the suspect fled toward the tri-school site, a region of the community where three Airdrie schools – École Edwards Elementary School, École Airdrie Middle School (EAMS) and George McDougall High School – are near one another. RCMP said a secure-and-hold order was issued for those schools while officers searched for the suspect. According to a notice from EAMS, the order ensured that all students were brought back inside the building and all exterior doors and windows were locked. “The hold-and-secure lasted 10 minutes and normal school operations resumed once RCMP addressed the incident and advised us there was no threat to safety,” said Erhayat Ozcan, EAMS’ principal, in a letter sent to parents on March 18. The suspect was later located in an alleyway near Centre Avenue and Virginia Street S.E. and was arrested after a brief chase. RCMP recovered the weapon, which they say the suspect attempted to discard. The suspect, a 16-year-old Airdrie resident, is charged with robbery, assault with a weapon, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, two counts of carrying a concealed weapon and four counts of failing to comply with a sentence order under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA). The suspect’s identity is withheld under the YCJA.
