CALGARY - The school principal allegedly the target of an accused hostage-taker had long feared the suspect, say police and the educator's family.
Duane Shartau, the principal, managed to escape but a secretary at Calgary's A.E. Cross junior high Thursday afternoon wasn't so lucky.
Bonnie Grainger was held captive for about two hours -- at times threatened with a knife -- until police eventually convinced the suspect to set her free unharmed.
Now, Matthew Adeniran, a 25-year-old man with a long history with police and convictions for offences including causing a disturbance, faces 10 criminal charges in the incident, including stalking Shartau.
Det. Shawn Kangarloo said the suspect had visited the school in the past wanting to talk to the principal, someone he blamed for an old sports injury suffered while at another school where the principal was working.
"This guy has been dealing with the principal for many years," he said.
"He has gone to the school before just wanting to talk to him."
Until this week, however, none of the encounters escalated to violence.
But Shartau's family said he long feared it could reach such levels.
"He was a little bit worried about him stalking him and reported it to the school board and police," his mother Mary said Friday, a day after the incident ended peacefully.
"So many things could have happened."
His brother, Darryl, said the suspect wanted compensation for his injuries and the violent events this week were not entirely shocking.
"I think he knew it was coming for a number of years," he said.
"I guess he feels some relief (he was arrested) but he'll be out again -- he's a problem that won't go away."
Kangarloo said the suspect's apparent issue with the principal goes back nearly 10 years to a basketball injury.
A psychological assessment will likely be ordered for the accused.
"Since then he has been blaming the school principal and said he never got the support he needed and his injuries ruined his life and he can't get a job," Kangarloo said.
"To you and I, it probably doesn't make any sense but it makes sense to him."
A 13-year-old student doing homework in a nearby office managed to hide during the incident, never coming to the attention of the knife-wielding suspect.
Kangarloo said the suspect may have simply wanted to make a point but clearly he posed a threat.
He said it's fortunate police were in the area and on scene in minutes, quickly starting negotiations with the suspect, culminating in an arrest and no one being harmed.
"It could have gone wrong at any time between those two hours," he said.
"Obviously, it never got to the point of him going directly at the hostage ... it's lucky for everybody."
nadia.moharib@sunmedia.ca
