SUDBURY - The man Sudbury Police say stabbed a mother and injured an infant in a Marcus Drive parking lot on June 3 is the same man shot by police in the downtown transit terminal in 2018.
Police announced this morning they have arrested and charged Alexander Stavropoulos, 25, with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and one count of breaching probation.
The 35-year-old mother was stabbed in the neck and remains in hospital in critical condition. Her nine-month-old infant was not stabbed, but sustained multiple bruises after being struck repeatedly during the attack.
GSPS say the attack was entirely random and neither Stavropolous nor the victim was known to each other. They also thanked bystanders for tackling the man and pinning him to the ground until police arrived, and those who helped the injured mother.
"We would like to thank the community member who intervened, putting the safety of others above his own," police said in a news release. "We would also like to thank the community member who provided medical aid to the woman until paramedics arrived. Your selfless acts ultimately saved the lives of the individuals who were victims of this horrific attack."
Stavropoulos is known to police. In April 2018, he was shot by police in the downtown transit terminal. You can watch video of that below.
On April 1, 2018, Stavropoulos, who is from Toronto, arrived at the downtown terminal with two knives and attempted to force his way into the security office.
After police arrived, he refused to surrender and charged officers, screaming and wielding the two knives, forcing officers to fire their weapons to stop him.
Stavropoulos was hit twice with a conductive energy weapon and was shot in the leg. He was yelling “white power” as police were arresting him.
In August 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of carrying a weapon to commit an offence. His lawyer, Toronto-based Nicholas Xynnis, said he client was severely depressed at the time and the entire incident was an attempt at suicide – he hoped the cops would kill him.
Stavropoulos, who is from Toronto, was distraught over the death of this father, Xynnis said, and had been drinking in addition to consuming marijuana, blaming the attack on marijuana-induced psychosis, a recognized side effect of the drug in some users.
Xynnis said his client was on anti-psychotic medication after being arrested, and was “very remorseful.”
Stavropoulos was sentenced to time served (99 days in jail) plus two years probation for the April 1 incident, and was ordered to pay $215 in restitution to a Sudbury Transit employee. The worker was injured when police fired five or six shots to stop Stavropoulos, who came at them wielding a knife and ignored orders to stop.
He was also handed a 10-year weapons ban and was ordered to provide a DNA sample.
Alexander Stavropoulos appeared in bail court in Sudbury this morning. The matter was adjourned to June 6.
- Sudbury.com/Laurentian Media
