Teen charged after courthouse knife attack

Ateenager has been charged with attempted murder after a woman was attacked with a knife inside a Halifax courthouse.

Police saida 16-year-old girlwent aftera 22-year-old womanat Halifax provincial court on Spring Garden Road at approximately 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Micah MacIsaac, who co-ordinates the Crown attorneys' office in the courthouse, said he was nearby and grabbed the girl's arm on the side she was wielding the knife. Lyle Elkins, a legal aid lawyer, got hold of the other arm.

"We just had to get that knife out of her hand and get her to the ground," MacIsaac said. "We just had to stop her."

The incident happened in a public waiting area on the second floor of the courthouse. Sheriffs were escorting 18-year-oldBrandon Lewis Hatcher to the courtroom to facetwo charges of attempted murder after a shooting in Spryfield on Monday.

MacIssac said he heard someone shout, "This is for you, B." He said the girl brought the knife up and plunged it toward the victim before he and Elkins wrestled her to the ground. Sheriffs were able to thenpry the knife away. No one was hurt.

Christine Mosher, executive director of court services for the Justice Department, said it appears the fold-up knife with a 10 centimetre blade was smuggled pastcourthouse metal detectors.

"It's my understanding that she had the weapon concealed in a body cavity ," Mosher said.

Mosher said the metal detector went off when the teenager walked through, but the girl claimed it was set off by her piercings.

"Our current operating procedures allow only for a pat search at this time, not a body cavity search." said Mosher. "It may be an issue of obtaining someone's consent to do a more intrusive search and then restricting access if consent were not obtained."

Police said the victim of the attack is not co-operating with the investigation and that both women know each other.

Theteenager appeared in youth court on Wednesday to face charges of attempted murder, uttering threats and several weapons-related offences. She is to return to court on Thursday for a bail hearing.