Overview

• Police say Jeremy David McDonald, 44, is charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after a 3:20 a.m. apartment confrontation that left alleged intruder Michael Kyle Breen, 41, with life-threatening injuries.
• Court documents allege McDonald used a knife during the altercation, and Breen was airlifted to a Toronto trauma hospital.
• Breen, also from Lindsay, faces charges including possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, break and enter, theft, mischief under $5,000, and failing to comply with probation, and police said he was wanted on unrelated offences.
• Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson defended laying charges, saying defensive force must be proportionate to the threat and decisions were based on evidence; McDonald was released with a future court date.
• McDonald’s lawyer says he acted lawfully in self-defence, Premier Doug Ford criticized the charges as proof “something is broken,” and legal commentary explains that courts assess Section 34 reasonableness using factors such as imminence, weapon use, and proportionality.