UPDATE: Charges sworn – Parksville man in serious condition after stabbing

30-year-old Errington man in custody after Friday night attack at French Creek Marina pub

A 30-year-old Errington man has been charged with one count aggravated assault and two counts of assault with a weapon after a stabbing at the French Creek Marine Pub on Jan. 20.

The suspect is expected to appear at the Nanaimo Law Courts on Feb. 21. There was also a psychiatric exam/report assessment ordered.

The suspect previously appeared in court on Jan. 24 with an additional charge of attempted murder, but the crown terminated that charge before any judicial determination.

Oceanside RCMP and B.C. Ambulance Service were called to the pub at 8:50 p.m. on Jan. 20 to find a 41-year-old Parksville man lying in the parking lot with multiple stab wounds, Oceanside RCMP said in a news release.

Within minutes, an RCMP officer located a suspect who had fled the scene on foot. The suspect was arrested without incident near the French Creek bridge on Highway 19A, RCMP said.

The victim required immediate care as a large knife was reportedly used to inflict the wounds. He was transported by B.C. Ambulance Service to Nanaimo and then transferred to an air ambulance and taken to the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

RCMP spokesperson Jesse Foreman said witnesses and staff at the pub were very co-operative with this investigation and it was learned that the victim and the suspect were reportedly friends who had arrived to the pub together.

— NEWS Staff

EARLIER STORY

A 41-year-old Parksville man remains in serious condition and a 30-year-old Errington man is in custody following a Friday night stabbing at the French Creek Marina Pub.

Oceanside RCMP and B.C. Ambulance Service were called to the marina at 8:50 p.m. Jan. 20 to find the victim lying in the parking lot with multiple stab wounds, Oceanside RCMP said in a news release.

Within minutes, an RCMP officer located the suspect, a 30-year-old Errington man who had fled the scene on foot. The suspect was arrested without incident near the French Creek Bridge on highway 19A. He remains in police custody, RCMP said.

The victim required immediate care as a large knife was reportedly used to inflict the wounds. He was transported by B.C. Ambulance Service to Nanaimo and then transferred to an air ambulance and taken to the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, where he remained in serious condition Saturday.

Witnesses and staff at the pub were very cooperative with this investigation and it was learned that the victim and suspect were reportedly friends who had arrived to the pub together, RCMP spokesperson Jesse Foreman said.

“The stabbing occurred outside of the pub in the designated smoking area and no other parties were threatened or injured,” Foreman said in the news release. “There is no indication as to why the suspect stabbed the victim as there was no altercation noted prior to the stabbing.”

The investigation is ongoing, the RCMP said.

— NEWS Staff and RCMP news release

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