First responders face axe-wielding man

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This article was published 06/05/2019 (2728 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man wielding an axe stolen from an emergency vehicle forced two Winnipeg firefighters to barricade themselves inside a residence where a medical incident had just taken place.

The pair were leaving the call on the 200 block of Aberdeen Avenue when they were confronted by a suspect who had taken an axe out of their emergency vehicle and held it over his head in a threatening manner just before midnight Sunday, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service assistant chief Ihor Holowcynsky said Monday.

“It was definitely concerning for both of them, and we are lucky no one was injured,” Holowcynsky said, adding the paramedics were able to retreat into the residence, lock the door, and wait for police to arrive.

The patient was stable and could wait to be transported to hospital by an ambulance crew also inside, he said.

Securing the area of the vehicle where the axe was taken for future security would be difficult because firefighters need quick access to the tool, Holowcynsky said.

The incident is another reminder about what is happening in the city due to the rise in the use of methamphetamine, Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jay Murray said.

“This is a daily risk faced by our first responders. Our members had to deal with an individual believed to be high with a stimulant,” he said.

United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Alex Forrest said he’s concerned a first responder is going to get hurt, or worse, by somebody high on meth.

“We are very concerned about the number of violent acts against firefighters,” Forrest said. “We have had serious acts and it is getting worse. It is a crisis out there.”

The suspect was arrested after a brief foot chase near Aikins Street and Burrows Avenue, with the help of the WPS canine unit.

Dwayne Anthony Rawluk, 33, has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and a charge of mischief under $5,000. He has been detained in custody.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca