2 people stabbed during altercation on city bus, Saskatoon police say

Saskatoon police say a 20-year-old man and 15-year-old girl were stabbed during an altercation on a city bus on Thursday night.

Officers were called to the area of 20th Street West and Avenue N South around 10:30 p.m., a Saskatoon Police Service news release said.

Police said officers found the man first. He had suffered a serious but non-life-threatening stab wound and was taken to hospital by paramedics.

The news release said that through their investigation, officers concluded there had been an altercation on the bus among multiple people of "unknown associations to one another."

They were told that two of the involved people had left. During a search of the area, officers found two people who matched witness descriptions walking nearby on 20th Street West.

One of them, a 15-year-old girl, had "multiple serious but non-life-threatening stab wounds," police said.

She was also taken to hospital by paramedics.

Members of the serious assault unit are investigating, police said.

This is the second bus stabbing in Saskatoon this month. An 18-year-old man was hospitalized after being stabbed on May 1 at 12th Street East and Broadway Avenue.

Following the stabbing on May 1, the president of ATU Local 615, which represents transit drivers, said attacks have been random and are becoming more violent.

"These occurrences are happening more and more and this is an example of what we're seeing," Darcy Pederson said.

Saskatoon Transit plans to begin a program this summer with Community Support Officers riding on buses. The program is expected to begin July 1.