Regina police foil attack, save man's life

A 31-year-old man may not have been alive come Monday had a Regina police officer not been there.

According to the Regina Police Service, just after midnight on Sunday, two officers came across a man being attacked on 6th Avenue, near Scott Collegiate.

The man was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that was stopped and was being attacked by another man with a knife.

The attacker dropped the knife and ran when he saw the police, but an officer ran after and tackled him.

The victim had been stabbed several times, including one which severed an artery. Officers applied a tourniquet until an ambulance arrived and took the victim to hospital. In a news release put out on Monday, Regina police said a doctor later said the victim may not have survived without the officers’ help.

William John Crawford, 36, of Riceton, is being charged with attempted murder, mischief under $5,000, possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Crawford made his first appearance in court on these charges Monday morning.