Man pleads guilty to aggravated assault of Saint John officer in Canadian Tire stabbing

A man scheduled to be tried for attempted murder of a Saint John police officer by stabbing him at the Canadian Tire on the west side last winter has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault.

Corey James Clarke, 35, entered his change of plea on a total of nine charges Thursday in Saint John provincial court, as Const. Jonathan Grenier looked on.

Clarke stabbed Grenier three times on Feb. 21 — in the neck, face and chest, said Crown prosecutor Jill Knee, relaying details about that night to the court for the first time, as part of an agreed statement of facts.

Grenier had just entered the store, at 885 Fairville Blvd., in response to reports of a man armed with a knife threatening staff and causing damage, as Clarke was exiting — fleeing two other officers.

Grenier's bodycam video, which Knee played for the court, shows Clarke taking frenzied, downward slashes at Grenier in the foyer area before running outside, where the two officers in pursuit  — Const. Ryan Woodman and Const. Dan Olde Damink — wrestled Clarke to the ground.

Although Grenier was injured and bleeding, he attempted to assist them, grabbing hold of Clarke's shirt.

It was only when one of his colleagues asked if he was OK that Grenier cried out, "I got stabbed."

Headed straight for guns display

The court also watched two security videos from the store, which was closing as Clarke arrived around 8 p.m., according to the Crown prosecutor.

Clarke kicked at the front door and when the store manager, Melissa Stanton, told him he couldn't come in, he pointed a knife at her, swore at her and "told her he was coming in no matter what," said Knee.

He rushed to the back of the store, where the guns and ammunition are located, and searched the aisles for a tool to break into the cabinets.

"Clarke can be heard screaming and yelling. He was saying, 'I'm f---ing ready for this,'" said Knee.

Taser 'had no effect'

When Woodman and Olde Damink arrived, they heard glass breaking at the back of the store and headed in that direction. They saw Clarke remove a long gun from a cabinet with bolt cutters, Knee said.

The officers told Clarke to stop, but he started to run. Olde Damink directed Woodman to deploy his Taser. "The upper probe contacted Clarke's shoulder but had no effect," said Knee.

After Clarke stabbed Grenier in the foyer and was wrestled to the ground outside, he refused to drop the knife, she said. He proceeded to stab Woodman in the back, in the area of his service vest and belt, she said.

The officers struck Clarke multiple times to get him to drop the knife and place him under arrest.

Attacked officer speaks

"It's the best-case scenario in the worst situation … that an officer can go through," Grenier said outside the courtroom.

In addition to the aggravated assault of Grenier, who was treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries and later released, Clarke pleaded guilty to six other charges related to events that night.

Four stem from the store: assaulting Woodman with a knife, assaulting the store manager with a knife, mischief under $5,000 for wilfully damaging glass display cases, and resisting two officers in the execution of their duty.

There were also two other assault-with-a-knife charges in connection with an incident that occurred just 15 minutes earlier, at Shooters, a nearby pool bar.

Told victims his knife was 'blessed by blood'

Two men were outside when Clarke arrived and one of them said hello to him as he approached, according to the Crown prosecutor.

"Clarke pulled out his knife and said he was going to end [their] lives," said Knee.

He told him the knife was "stained with blood and blessed by blood and he would not hesitate to stab [them] with it."

Once inside, Clarke asked the men about a particular vehicle. When one of them said he hadn't seen it, Clarke slapped the hat off his head and left the bar, Knee said.

Clarke also pleaded guilty two unrelated charges dating back to 2017, in the Kingston area, including assaulting a woman, and then failing to attend court.

The woman told police she and Clarke were arguing when he grabbed her by the arm and struck her in the head and face with a log from the fireplace.

Judge Lucie Mathurin repeatedly asked Clarke if he understood that by pleading guilty he could face incarceration, and that even if there's a joint recommendation from the Crown and defence, she is not bound by that.

Clarke, who sat emotionless in the prisoner's box throughout the proceedings said he understood.

The attempted murder charge and three other charges are expected to be withdrawn on Dec. 20, when Clarke is scheduled to be sentenced.

The other charges include possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose at Canadian Tire, an assault charge against one of the men at Shooters, and a threats charge in Kingston in 2017.

Defence lawyer David Lutz requested a pre-sentence report for his client, who was found fit to stand trial in April, following a 30-day psychiatric assessment.

The judge said any affected officers or store employees are welcome to submit victim impact statements.

Clarke remains in custody.