Man charged after children at East Gwillimbury school attacked with curtain rod

York regional police have charged a 30-year-old man after he allegedly hopped the fence at an elementary school in East Gwillimbury on Wednesday and began swinging a curtain rod at children during recess, seriously injuring one student.

Police say the attack happened just before 1 p.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Elementary School on Murrell Boulevard.

Officers were called to the school for a report of a suspicious person.

The school was in a lockdown when police arrived, and the suspect was inside a vehicle with a family member who was caring for him. Police spokesperson Sgt. Andy Pattenden told CityNews the man has a cognitive impairment and left a nearby residence armed with a curtain rod.

“The suspect entered into a fenced playground where kindergarten students were on recess,” Pattenden explained. “He was swinging the rod at students and struck one of them causing serious injury. School staff and a good Samaritan were able to remove the weapon from the suspect and get the students back into the school.”

The injured student was assessed by paramedics and taken to hospital with a serious injury.

The man, who hasn’t been named, is facing charges of aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and common nuisance – endangering life.

He remains in custody.