Police arrest suspect in subway stabbing

TORONTO, Ont. – A 20-year-old man is facing seven charges after a stabbing aboard a TTC train Wednesday night.

Cassim Celani Cummings of Toronto was arrested Friday and faces seven charges including attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.

Cummings will appear at College Park court Saturday.

Police said a 45-year-old Barrie man was stabbed on a train near Davisville station in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack.

According to police, the suspect got on a southbound train at Eglinton station just after 10 p.m. Wednesday and began harassing and yelling at passengers.

The victim was stabbed when he stood up as the accused approached him.

The victim was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The man — who asked that his name not be released — is recovering in hospital, according to Sunnybrook spokesperson Laura Bristow.

The man released a statement thanking staff at Sunnybrook, Toronto police and the TTC following the arrest.

“My family and I wish to publicly thank those individuals who came to my aid and offered help to a complete stranger. It is with sincere appreciation that I offer this thanks to those who put my life ahead of their own personal safety,” he said in a statement.

“For that I am grateful and hope their actions serve as a reminder that people in this city still care and that a strong sense of community was evident that night in the subway.”

Cummings has had 19 convictions from Scarborough to Etobicoke, and his mother had requested a mental health assessment in the past, police said.

“All I need is for the public to know that my son is sick,” Cummings’ mother told CityNews in a phone interview.

“He’s schizophrenic, he’s bipolar and he’s psychotic. This is what he was diagnosed with. He should have been on medication. He’s not taking his medication.”

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