A young man could face an adult sentence if convicted for his alleged role in a stabbing at a St. Albert bar.
A 17-year-old Edmonton man made his first appearance in St. Albert Provincial Court Tuesday to face three counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon, one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. The man cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Provincial Crown prosecutor Scott Pittman did not go into details about the charges, but did tell Judge S.C. Miller that he would be asking for an adult sentence if the man is eventually convicted. Young offenders traditionally serve shorter sentences than adults for the same crimes.
The 17-year-old stands charged in connection with a stabbing at Friday’s Lounge & Grill in St. Albert last month that led to two arrests and two hospitalizations.
According to police reports, a staff member at the bar had escorted two men outside early on the morning of Nov. 20 when one of them stabbed him. Another man, a customer who had tried to intervene, was also stabbed. A female staff member was punched in the face after she tried to help one of the accused up.
After the fight, one of the accused men tried to flee the scene in his vehicle, driving through and nearly hitting a crowd of people before striking another vehicle. Police arrested the accused men soon after. The two victims injured in the fight were taken to hospital for treatment and were expected to recover.
Ebraheem Mustapha, 18, of Edmonton, has been charged with two counts of assault in connection with this same stabbing. Mustapha has no prior criminal record, according to St. Albert RCMP, but the 17-year-old does and was known to police.
The 17-year-old will next appear in St. Albert court on Jan. 4 to enter a plea.
