Neighbour chases down stabbing suspect, forces suspect to call police using own phone

Kevin Menz and Angelina Irinici, CTV Saskatoon, Published Friday, June 19, 2015 12:50PM CST, Last Updated Friday, June 19, 2015 6:29PM CST, Source

A Saskatoon man who chased down a stabbing suspect says he forced the suspect to use his own phone to dial 911.

Police were called to a home in the city’s Pacific Heights neighbourhood just before 8 a.m. Friday after a report of a break-and-enter and aggravated assault.

A man broke into a home on the 600 block of Lisgar Avenue and stabbed a woman numerous times, police said in a media release.

He was unable to get away thanks to Jean-Pierre Veilleux, a neighbour who intervened before chasing the suspect down an alley.

Veilleux told CTV he ran over to his neighbour’s place after hearing a window smash.

“I knew right away that something bad was happening,” he said. “My kids came running downstairs and they’re like, ‘Dad! Dad! Somebody’s breaking into the neighbour’s house.’”

The 27-year-old grabbed a bat before heading over to the home. The door was locked but someone let him in and pointed him towards the stairs.

“I just ran up the stairs and I saw this guy,” Veilleux recalled. “He just looked like he was completely out of it.”

Veilleux hit him with the bat before the suspect ran downstairs and out the house.

“I just ended up chasing him all the way down the Lisgar alley,” Veilleux said. “I wasn’t going to stop pursuing him at all.”

Veilleux eventually caught him.

“I was just holding him there…. I had my bat out to his face. I was like, ‘Take out your cellphone. Call the police. You’re going to jail.’”

The suspect dialed 911 before passing the phone to Veilleux.

“He was crying and stuff — it was crazy — and then at that point I just waited with him with the bat until the cops showed up.”

Police said both the victim in the house and the suspect were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect’s injuries stemmed from being taken down by Veilleux.

The attack was not random and the suspect and victim are known to each other, according to police.

Police said they do appreciate the neighbour's efforts, but cautioned others from doing the same.

"You are allowed to use as much force as is reasonably necessary to affect an arrest. Any use of force beyond that is not reasonable. People can be responsible for that," said Const. Bill Bergeron.

Members of Saskatoon police’s forensic identification and targeted enforcement units, as well as patrol members, are investigating the incident.

Jean-Pierre Veilleux says he chased

down a stabbing suspect in Saskatoon's

Pacific Heights neighbourhood Friday

morning. (Angelina Irinici/CTV Saskatoon)