One man is in hospital this morning after he was allegedly stabbed with a sword multiple times in the back on Sunday night.
At 11 p.m. on Nov. 17, paramedics alerted Burnaby Mounties that a man had been stabbed and was being taken to Royal Columbian Hospital. Upon preliminary investigation, officers determined the man had been walking with friends through the schoolyard at Cameron elementary when another group appeared out of the bushes.
"Three people all of the sudden appeared out of nowhere - one brandishing a sword, another with pepper spray," said Staff Sgt. Maj. John Buis.
The victim, along with three friends, allegedly got into a fight with the approaching group and that's when police believe one of the suspects used a sword to stab the victim twice in the back.
"They ran off, the suspects, (and) one of them allegedly let loose some pepper spray, as well," Buis said.
The injuries sustained by the victim were non-life threatening. He was in surgery this morning and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Buis.
Burnaby RCMP do not believe this was a random attack and there is evidence to suggest the two groups knew each other, Buis said.
"There was an indication that the suspects knew the victim, and I can't relate anymore than that," he added.
The victim, whose name hasn't been released, is 20 years old. Police haven't determined the ages of the suspects but believe they are all in their late teens or early twenties, Buis said.
Burnaby RCMP are waiting to speak with the victim and his friends to gather more information about what took place Sunday night. In the meantime, police have descriptions of the suspects, but they are very preliminary, Buis added.
"Suspect one is described as a male carrying a sword, wearing a white sweater, black track pants and orange sneakers. Suspect two was wearing a black jacket, dark tuque, and possibly carrying pepper spray and suspect three was wearing all dark clothing," he said.
All suspects are described as 5'9" in height. At this time, police are unsure whether the suspects, victim or his friends are Burnaby residents.
