Downtown stabbing spree nets man 30-month jail term

The downtown, lunch-hour stabbing spree by a drug-crazed Calgary man has landed him a 30-month jail sentence.

But because Chad Elliott Carrick has already spent the equivalent of a 19-month term behind bars since his April 3, 2023, arrest, he'll only have to serve an additional 11 months, Justice Eric Tolppanen said Thursday.

The Calgary Court of Justice judge accepted a joint submission from Crown prosecutor Aleksandra Simic and defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli for a 2½-year jail term followed by probation for 24 months.

Tolppanen said a significant jail term was warranted to send out a message that such conduct, especially in the crowded downtown core of the city, will not be tolerated by the courts.

“The message must go out that violence such as this will be met with harsh sentences,” Tolppanen said.

“Violence such as this erodes the confidence that Calgarians deserve to have ... (engaging in downtown activities) without fear.”

Carrick, 30, pleaded guilty last September to a single count of assault with a weapon in connection with a spree of attacks on strangers not far from the Calgary Courts Centre where he was sentenced.

According to a statement of agreed facts, Carrick attacked seven people who were out and about in the city's core during the lunch hour.

One of his victims, James Scott, who was assaulted when he came to the rescue of co-worker Kaltrina Bajraktari, filed a victim impact statement hoping their assailant can turn his life around.

“My wish for the court is to focus on rehabilitation and redemption,” Scott wrote, in his statement read in court by Simic. “I believe people can change.”

Before Tolppanen handed down his sentencing decision, Carrick addressed the three of his seven victims who attended the hearing.

“I just want to apologize for everything that happened. That was not me that day,” he said. “I want to thank you for believing that I can change.”