16-year-old charged with attempted murder after high school teacher stabbed

A 16-year-old high school student was accused of attempted murder in Quebec youth court Friday morning, one day after police say he stabbed an art teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighbourhood. 

The boy, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, could be sentenced as an adult if he is found guilty. 

He is also charged with aggravated assaulted and carrying a concealed weapon. 

The teenager is expected back in court Monday for a bail hearing. 

Thursday, at around 10 a.m. the high school on Villeray Street went into lockdown after 41-year-old art teacher Maxime Canuel was stabbed in a classroom. 

Students reported seeing a teen walk into the class, stab Canuel twice before running away. Canuel was injured to his chest and shoulder, and his wounds were initially believed by paramedics to be life-threatening. 

He was taken to hospital and had to undergo surgery, according to English Montreal School Board (EMSB) spokesperson Mike Cohen. 

The 16-year-old student was arrested about an hour later, police said.

A spokesperson for the Urgences Santé ambulance service said Canuel was lucky to be alive. 

"It could have been a lot worse, but fortunately the gentleman is in stable condition and no other injuries have been reported at this time," said the spokesperson, René Durand. 

The incident sparked intense concern in the neighbourhood, where less than two months ago 16-year-old Thomas Trudel was shot and killed in another unprovoked attack.