Apartment evacuated, man arrested after uttering threats

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This article was published 07/01/2023 (1058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police arrested a man and evacuated his Cumberland Avenue apartment Friday after he allegedly made threats against police.

In a Saturday release, police said they began an investigation just after 5 p.m. Friday after learning an individual was posting threats against police on social media and expressing suicidal ideation.

A police tactical team, along with patrol officers from the central, north and west districts, was dispatched to an apartment complex in the 300 block of Cumberland Avenue, where the man lived. Officers then evacuated at least one floor of the building and confronted the suspect.

Officers used a conductive energy weapon, but the suspect was arrested “safely” and was “medically cleared,” police said. No other injuries were reported. The operation took two hours. Police did not have a number available Saturday regarding how many people were displaced from the apartment.

A 35 year old man from Winnipeg faces charged of uttering threats, including to cause death or bodily harm, and mischief under $5,000.

The arrest, and precautions taken during the arrest, came the same day some of Canada’s largest police associations committed to ending what they called an “unacceptable wave of violence” after a string of recent police officer deaths.

Five officers have been killed in the line of duty in Canada since September.

“We are saying today what we are sure most Canadians are feeling: Enough is enough. We cannot allow the deaths of five of our members to go unchallenged,” the groups, including the Canadian Police Association, the Police Association of Ontario, and the Ontario Provincial Police Association, wrote in a statement.

Most recently, Ontario Provincial Police Const. Greg Pierzchala, 28, was shot and killed while responding to a call for a vehicle in a ditch near Hamilton, Ont. on Dec. 27.

In October, RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang was fatally stabbed in Burnaby, B.C. That same month, South Simcoe Police officers Devon Northrup and Morgan Russell were shot at a home in Innisfil, Ont. Toronto police Const. Andrew Hong was shot and killed in Mississauga, Ont., in September.

When asked if police took extra precautions Friday in light of the recent fatalities, Winnipeg police Cst. Claude Chancy said: “All Winnipeg Police Service officers are cognizant of the risks and dangers present during high-risk incidents and fall back on their training and expertise to achieve safe outcomes for all involved, including the general public.”

katrina.clarke@freepress.mb.ca