A 17-year-old male has been charged after a 16-year-old boy was stabbed inside a Brampton high school on Tuesday. The incident triggered a two-hour lockdown.

Peel police said the victim, who is not a student at the school, was stabbed four times in the neck and side inside Chinguacousy Secondary School, on Williams Parkway near Bramalea Road, shortly before 10 a.m.

"He's been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening stab wounds," Const. J.P. Valade told reporters at the scene.

One witness said there was a fight between several people in the hallway before the stabbing occurred.

"They all started fighting. One guy came up from the side and stabbed another man in his legs," the teen told CTV Toronto.

Officers arrested a 17-year-old boy inside the school, but he can't be identified because of his age. Police said the suspect, who is a student there, has been charged with:

  • Aggravated assault
  • Assault with a weapon
  • Carrying a concealed weapon
  • Weapons dangerous

The school remained locked down over the noon hour because police were investigating if there were more suspects inside.

Officers are trying to determine why the victim was at the school.

There have been other violent incidents at the Brampton school in the past. A student was shot in the parking lot three years ago in a gang-related incident, and a teacher was assaulted in 2001.

Peel District School Board spokesman Brian Woodland told reporters on Tuesday "this is a good school and a safe school, and a great place to work and laugh."

Tuesday's incident occurred just days after a safety report for the Toronto District School Board said violence and sexual assaults are happening inside Toronto schools in staggering numbers.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin