Police briefs

Cabbie stabbed before taxi crashed, police say

A cabbie who crashed his taxi into a tree on Sept. 20 was apparently being robbed by a passenger armed with a knife, police said.

The white Prius cab was southbound on Beverley Street near Portage Avenue when it hit a tree at about 3:50 a.m., killing the 43-year-old passenger and injuring the 31-year-old driver.

At the time, there was speculation the driver lost control because of his passenger's behaviour.

That was confirmed by police Monday morning, who said it appears a robbery was in progress and a knife was used.

"As a result of the surveillance footage reviewed, investigators now possess information to support that a robbery attempt by the passenger had taken place," police said in a news release. "Also, due to an extensive search of the severely damaged vehicle, officers have located and seized a knife believed to have been used during the incident."

The investigation continues.

The dead passenger was previously identified as Jackson Muminawatum Jr., of Norway House.

Muminawatum's father, Jackson Sr., said his son had only recently returned to Winnipeg from the family home in Norway House.

"He asked me for money and then he hitchhiked out of here," the father said. Muminawatum said his son had been in and out of jail, most recently released from Headingley Correctional Centre in May after serving nine months of an 18-month sentence. His son had been in most of the province's jails, Muminawatum said.

Woman sexually assaulted

A 27-year-old woman was seriously sexually assaulted near the Midtown Bridge and Assiniboine Avenue Saturday night while walking with a man she had met earlier in the day.

Winnipeg police said they learned of the incident around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

The woman said she had met a man several hours earlier and they were spending time together. Later, he became aggressive and attacked her.

The suspect is described as an aboriginal man, about 28 years of age, 6-0, with a skinny build, shaved head and thin moustache. He was wearing beige pants, a grey sweater and a white baseball cap.

Arrest in hit-and-run

A 27-year-old man turned himself in to police Sunday afternoon for his involvement in a hit-and-run earlier in the day that sent a young man to hospital in critical condition.

Police said the alleged driver of the hit-and-run vehicle is facing charges of failing to remain at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm and driving without a licence.

The 18-year-old victim was walking along the northbound median lane near the concrete divider when he was struck by a northbound vehicle.

The force of the collision knocked the man over the divider and into the southbound lanes. Police said the victim remains in critical condition.

A passing motorist stopped at the scene and was told the victim had been arguing with his girlfriend just before he was struck by the car.

A spokesman for the family of the victim said they were not prepared to comment at this time.

Girl killed in truck rollover

A 15-year-old Glenboro girl was killed when the pickup truck she was riding in rolled and ended up in a field at about 10 p.m. Sunday.

RCMP said the incident happened on Road 81W, just south of Glenboro, when the 16-year-old driver lost control of the 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche.

Police said the girl who died was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the truck.

The driver and two other passengers were not seriously injured.

Police said driver inexperience appears to be a contributing factor. The incident is still being investigated.

Dugald man charged

A Dugald man has been charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm in connection with a crash two weeks ago on Highway 59 in front of the South Beach Casino.

Vincenzo Giovanni Tummillo, 40, is to appear in Selkirk court on Oct. 19.

Three children suffered broken bones, concussions, cuts and bruises after the two-vehicle crash on Sept. 16.

The collision happened at around 8 p.m. at the intersection that leads into the casino on the Brokenhead First Nation. The kids were on their way to a youth soccer game at the nearby recreation complex; as they turned west off the highway, a southbound pickup truck hauling a boat and trailer smashed into the car's side.

At the time, RCMP said alcohol was considered a factor in the crash.

-- staff

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 2, 2012 B3