‘Crash shook whole building’

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This article was published 12/12/2009 (5851 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police scoured the city’s North End on Friday night for several teenage boys involved in a serious hit-and-run.

A white Hummer collided with a small compact car in 500 block of Alfred Avenue, just east of Andrews Street, at about 3 p.m. Friday. Police investigated whether the Hummer was stolen.

The ferocity of the crash knocked down part of a tree and vibrations from the crash could be felt throughout the neighbourhood. The crash came as parents were picking up their children from the area schools.

"A man I talked to said the crash shook the whole building," Rebecca Makara, 12, said as she watched Winnipeg police officers on the scene of the crash.

Laura Backstrom was in her sun room studying for exams when she heard the crash.

"I looked out the window and I saw the Hummer was rolling back, off the sidewalk and onto the street," Backstrom, 22, said. "There was lots of smoke and the other car was just sitting there."

Backstrom said immediately after the crash, a young teenage boy crawled out of the Hummer and ran towards her house and down her side yard.

"He was looking as he was running away and he looked really worried," Backstrom said.

Backstrom said she got a good look at the teenager as he ran past her sun room window.

"He was 15, maybe 16, maybe 17, wearing dark clothes, shaggy black hair, aboriginal, a coat but no hat."

Neil Many Fingers said he saw three youths, who he described as "three little teenagers," crawl out of the Hummer and run off in different directions.

"I heard this big bang and I went outside and called police right away," Many Fingers said. "I guess these three kids stole this Hummer, then they smashed that car and I just seen them running away.

"And I saw the poor guy lying there, he wasn’t moving."

Backstrom said the sound of the crash drew many neighbours, some carrying blankets for the victims and others brought fire extinguishers.

"People were there really quickly to help," Backstrom said.

Police arrived quickly, she said, and paramedics removed the driver but after placing him in the ambulance, they remained at the scene for several minutes.

"That’s a bad sign, I guess," Backstrom said.

Const. Jaqueline Chaput said the driver of the small car was taken to hospital in critical condition, adding police were trying to determine if the Hummer was stolen.

Chaput said the K-9 unit and several patrol officers were brought to the scene to search for the driver of the Hummer and other occupants.

Fallen tree branches and mangled metal littered the street. Blood stains could be seen on the inside of the front windshield of the compact car.

Makara said at least one occupant of the Hummer, a young man, was seen running north on Andrews Street.

 

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca