Two men were seriously injured during unrelated stabbings in Montreal North and downtown Montreal overnight.
In the first incident, police say a fight broke out between about 20 young men around 11 p.m. Thursday in front of a strip mall Pascal St. near Jubinville Ave.
The altercation escalated and a 28-year-old man was stabbed in the upper and lower body.
The strip mall where the incident occurred is a hotspot for gang activity, say area residents. Police aren't confirming whether the stabbing is gang-related.
One man likened living in the area to living in a prison.
"There's something every day. It's not always a big event. Sometimes it's a stabbing, sometimes it's gunshots, but there's something every week," he said.
Another man said there has been an increased police presence in the area since the 2008 Fredy Villanueva shooting.
Resident Mario Lavoie won't let his daughter on the street because of the danger.
"People get stabbed often, or shot," he said. "It's every week."
The victim and another person left the scene in a car. Police intercepted them a few blocks away and had the man brought to hospital.
He was brought to hospital in critical condition but is now in serious but stable condition. No arrests have been made.
At about 3 a.m., another fight broke out on de Maisonneuve Blvd. near Guy St. that pitted three men against another.
The lone fighter was stabbed in the lower body and was brought to hospital in critical condition. His condition has since stabilized.
One person was arrested in connection with the stabbing.
