Ontario Man Stabbed on Christmas Eve Drives Himself to Paramedic Station

Paramedics push a gurney toward an ambulance outside a Toronto Hospital on Jan. 5, 2022. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

A man stabbed in Mississauga, Ont., on the evening of Dec. 24 had to drive himself for medical care after a suspect stole his valuables and fled, local police say.

Peel Regional Police responded to reports of a stabbing near Church Street and Queen Street South in Mississauga at approximately 7:20 p.m., according to a Dec. 25 press release. Police said the victim was walking along a nearby trail when an unknown man approached and demanded valuables.

Although the victim complied, the suspect, described as a white man in his 30s, stabbed him multiple times before fleeing. Without a cellphone to call for help, the victim drove himself to a paramedic division and was then transferred to a local trauma centre, according to police. His injuries were found to be non-life-threatening.

The suspect, who was last seen wearing a green or blue jacket, remains at large, police said.

“Investigators from 11 Division’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect responsible for an unprovoked stabbing in Mississauga,” police said in the news release.

Police are asking anyone with dashcam or surveillance footage of the incident, or information related to it, to contact authorities. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Peel Crime Stoppers.

In another stranger assault earlier this month in Mississauga, a woman was confronted by an unknown man who reportedly yelled at her, forcibly removed her jacket hood and hijab, and pushed her to the ground before fleeing. A hijab is a head covering commonly worn by Muslim women.

The assault, which police said was being investigated as a suspected hate-motivated crime, took place on Dec. 3 at approximately 3:30 p.m. as the victim was approaching Cooksville Creek Bridge. The woman was not physically injured.

Police are asking the public for help identifying the suspect, described as a tall white man with a heavy build. He was wearing a black hoodie and dark clothing and was last seen running into a wooded area.

Peel Region, which includes the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the town of Caledon, recorded 664 robberies between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, according to police data. That marks a slight decrease from the 805 cases reported during the same period last year.

The region also recorded 162 hate-motivated crimes in 2023, according to the latest available data. Authorities define these as crimes driven by “hate or bias” against a victim’s race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or age.