TORONTO - A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for a man accused of shoving three teens in the path of an oncoming Toronto subway train.
In an allegedly unprovoked attack, a man pushed the teens toward the train, two narrowly escaping serious injury when they landed on the tracks.
Adenir DeOliveira, 47, of Toronto, appeared in court Saturday and was remanded in custody until a bail hearing Tuesday.
DeOliveira is charged with three counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault.
A court order was also issued on Saturday preventing the naming of the victims or their relatives.
Chaos unfolded at west end Dufferin station during the height of rush hour Friday when the man violently disrupted the teens, who were out celebrating a birthday.
Without hesitation, one victim, 14, rolled to safety underneath the lip of the platform. Grabbing for his fallen friend, 15, he pulled him far enough out of the way that the train, breaking in emergency, struck only his left foot, said Toronto Transit spokesman Brad Ross.
The two were taken to the Hospital for Sick Children, where one was treated for minor injuries to his foot.
A third teen who was pushed managed to regain his balance and stay on the platform.
Power was cut to the third, electrified rail as the train ground to a halt.
Friends of the boys gave chase. A suspect fled through the station and up a flight of stairs, all the while "yelling and screaming" before attempting to assault a ticket collector, Ross said.
The collector and another bystander chased the suspect outside and two blocks down the street before tackling him and holding him until police arrived and made an arrest.
"Police don't know what the motive was, but he was disturbed and he was acting with force and attempted to assault (the collector)," Ross said.
"Our collector took it upon himself to subdue this person so nobody else could get hurt. He did the right thing and we're very proud of the work he did."
The last incident of a fateful subway pushing was in 1997, when a woman was killed after being thrown in front of a subway at Dundas station.
"We're just grateful these children were not killed and we wish them nothing but a speedy recovery both physically and mentally," Ross said, adding it was a rare and isolated incident.
"I can not imagine the fear and the complete terror that they must have felt at that time. The act of that 14 year old to pull his friend over and to think so quickly is quite impressive."
Every subway platform in Toronto has yellow tactile tiles that indicate the edge of the platform. Other safety measures include a designated waiting area with railings, an intercom to the collectors, a video camera and pay phone.
The Toronto Transit Commission is currently studying the feasibility of installing platform edge doors, which would provide a shield for the tracks.
Each day, more than 1.5 million rides are taken via the Toronto subway system.
