Shopkeeper randomly stabbed in Abbotsford, police say

The scene of a Saturday, Aug. 9, stabbing is seen in this image handed out by the Abbotsford Police Department.

An Abbotsford shopkeeper was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed Saturday morning, according to police.

In a statement, the Abbotsford Police Department said officers were called to a strip mall at the intersection of Townline and Maclure roads just before 9:45 a.m.

“Upon arrival, first responders located the victim—the business owner—who had sustained life-threatening injuries following an altercation with an unknown individual attempting to steal from the premises,” police wrote.

The suspect fled on foot before police arrived. Meanwhile, the victim was taken to a Vancouver-area trauma hospital.

A few minutes later, police say they found the suspect, a 40-year-old man, in the backyard of a nearby home. He remains in custody.

According to police, the suspect was on statutory release from a previous violent conviction, which means he had been released with supervision as required by law after serving two-thirds of a sentence.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has video from the area between 9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. is asked to call the APD at 604-859-5225.