Dufferin Avenue standoff ends with fire

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This article was published 23/02/2023 (928 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man is in custody after a reported assault led to an alleged arson and lengthy standoff at a Dufferin Avenue home. 

Police were called to a home on the 700 block, between McKenzie and Arlington streets, at about 12:35 p.m. Wednesday after a man allegedly assaulted a female relative. 

Police said the suspect, who was in an “agitated state” and was armed with a knife, locked himself in a room. 

Officers escorted the other occupants of the home, including children, outside to safety, police said. 

Over several hours, police said the suspect broke windows and armed himself with more knives, a crowbar and pieces of glass. He also threw objects at officers at the scene. 

The man allegedly threatened to kill officers and charged at them with a knife, before going back into the home. 

Police said they believe the man set fire to the house, which became engulfed in flames. 

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were summoned and around  5:30 p.m., the man opened the front door and yelled for help. 

Officers pulled him out while firefighters extinguished the flames. 

The man was taken to hospital in unstable condition and was later upgraded to stable. 

The man, 31, whose name hasn’t been released, is charged with arson with disregard for human life, assault, possession of a weapon, and fail to comply with the condition of a release order. 

— Staff