A man is facing assault charges after stabbing another man in an Edmonton hospital’s emergency room Friday evening, police say.

A 42-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, and was treated on-site, according to an Edmonton Police Service (EPS) spokesperson.

A hospital staff member who witnessed the incident told CBC News that, at the time, two Edmonton police officers were in the waiting room, accompanying another patient. They and four members of Alberta Health Services (AHS) protective services responded to the incident. CBC News agreed to withhold the worker’s name due to concerns of potential retribution for speaking publicly.

Police arrested the assailant, finding three knives on his person, the EPS spokesperson said. He faces multiple charges, including assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and two counts of failure to comply with probation.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident, the police spokesperson said.

CBC News also contacted AHS to confirm the incident, but has yet to receive a response.

In a late-night social media post, Alberta’s Hospitals Minister Matt Jones thanked health-care and security workers for de-escalating the situation and helping the victim of, what he called, an unprovoked stabbing.

Stabbing just ‘a matter of time,’ staffer says

The incident was unsurprising to health-care workers at the Royal Alex, who have been calling for increased weapons detection, the staff member said.

Nurses have told leadership that the volume of people in waiting rooms have made them feel increasingly unsafe, the staffer said, adding that health professionals can’t remove potentially dangerous patients due to their duty of care.

“This [stabbing] has just really been a matter of time,” they said. “The risk is always there. This was just that risk being fully realized, and it’s very frustrating.”

Enhanced security measures have already been approved and implemented at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Jones said in his social media post. The measures include more security personnel, and a weapons-screening program — which is not yet in place. 

The hospital staffer said current security measures are not enough to keep staff and patients safe, especially as emergency rooms become more strained.

“It is so unhinged that it’s preventing people, who are actively seeking health care, from getting the health care they require because it’s unsafe,” they said.

Jordan Scott told CBC News she was sitting near the stabbing victim when Friday’s attack happened. She expects “everlasting trauma” after the incident.

She echoed the staffer’s concern about insufficient security. In her experience, Scott said, security personnel have simply asked people if they have weapons before they enter the emergency room.

“You’re basically just asked to tell the truth,” Scott said.

On social media, Sarah Hoffman, the Opposition NDP’s hospital and surgical facilities critic, called on the governing United Conservative Party to work with front-line personnel. She said the government must invest in security and health-care staff.

Jones said on social media that he is committed to ensuring hospitals are safe environments.

“We recognize that incidents like this are unsettling. No one, patients, staff, or physicians, should feel unsafe in our hospitals,” he said. “We will continue to take steps to strengthen safety at this site.”

Witnesses shaken

In the meantime, the hospital staff member who spoke with CBC News said Friday’s stabbing has left them unsure about their future in health care.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, honestly. I’ve taken a couple of sick days because I’m not going back there today or tomorrow,” they said.

Carrying on might depend on how AHS responds, they added.

Scott is also afraid to go back to the Royal Alex after Friday’s incident.

“It makes me fear people. It makes me afraid to leave my house,” she said.

“There should never have been a man in that room with a weapon.”