A mother was seriously injured and a man was arrested for throwing a piece of metal from an overpass in southwest Edmonton. There have been several similar incidents in that area recently.
Almost all of the reported incidents happened at the 53rd Avenue overpass of Whitemud Drive and this recent incident occurred on Wednesday.
The object shattered a moving vehicle’s windshield and hit a woman in the back seat next to her baby.
The mother sustained a serious but not life-threatening injury and was taken to the hospital.
Getnet Teklay, 34, was identified by Edmonton police as the person responsible for the incident.
He was arrested the following day and charged with endangering life through mischief, aggravated assault, and assault with a weapon.
Since the end of December, various items including bricks, rocks, and a concrete slab have been thrown from the overpass onto the busy freeway below, causing damage to vehicles and injuring occupants.
Last month, two men reported that bricks were thrown off the overpass and struck their vehicles. At that time, police released video showing a man walking along the bridge, crouching behind a banner, and then throwing the objects before leaving. The banner was removed from the bridge that same day.
Similar incidents
occurred in early February in the same area of the Whitemud.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, a man threw a concrete slab from the 53 Avenue overpass into westbound traffic below, causing minor injuries to a passenger in a Subaru Outback. Another similar incident occurred roughly an hour later near 99 Street and Whitemud Drive..
On Monday, Jan. 8, a rock came through the windshield of a vehicle driven by Edmonton woman Angela Wu-Kemp near the 53 Avenue overpass.
The first reported incident took place on Thursday Dec. 28, 2023, police said.
Authorities are looking into whether the recent event that injured the mother is connected to the nine previous incidents involving objects being thrown off the Whitemud overpass onto moving vehicles.
Anyone with information about the suspect or video footage related to these incidents should contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at
www.p3tips.com/250
More than 20 years ago, a man was killed when an object was thrown onto the Whitemud.
Robert Stanley, 75, died when a 30-pound boulder the size of a basketball was dropped from a pedestrian bridge near 111 Street and crashed through the windshield of the school bus he was driving on June 1, 2002. View image in full screen
FILE: Robert Stanley, 75, passed away when a rock the size of a basketball was released from a footbridge near 111 Street and smashed through the front window of the school bus he was operating on June 1, 2002. A mother was significantly hurt and a man was taken into custody after a piece of metal was hurled off the 53 Avenue overpass where several similar incidents have occurred in the last few months..
More than 20 years ago, a man was killed when an object was thrown onto the Whitemud.
Robert Stanley, 75, died from a blow to his abdomen on June 1, 2002, when a 30-pound boulder the size of a basketball was dropped from a pedestrian bridge near 111 Street and crashed through the windshield of the school bus he was driving.
View image in full screen
FILE: Robert Stanley, 75, died when a basketball-size rock was dropped from a pedestrian bridge near 111 Street and crashed through the windshield of the school bus he was driving on June 1, 2002.
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