Police arrest youth, look for other suspects after violent carjackings

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This article was published 21/04/2020 (2011 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police have made one arrest and are looking for other suspects after two separate violent carjackings in the span of less than an hour on Monday.

Officers were called to Bannerman Avenue and Charles Street just after 8:30 a.m. morning after an injured man was seen lying in a back lane.

The officers determined the 68-year-old man had been run over by his own vehicle after it was stolen.

According to police, the victim was hit with an object and pulled out of his car by a female and a male, who then drove over the victim while fleeing the scene.

The vehicle owner was taken to hospital and is listed in unstable condition.

Just under an hour later, patrol units were sent out after a major crimes unit reported a female driving the stolen vehicle. The driver fled and, following a pursuit, the vehicle was found abandoned in Riverbend.

The suspect was found when a Riverbend resident called police reporting a person in a garbage bin was calling for help. Officers discovered the female stuck in the bin with the stolen vehicle’s keys.

The 16 year old has been charged with robbery, aggravated assault, flight while pursued by a peace officer, driving dangerously and driving while prohibited by order under Criminal Code. She remains in custody.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jay Murray said the police continue to search for the second suspect and have an idea of who it is.

Police are asking for assistance in its investigation of the second carjacking, which took place at 9:25 a.m. outside the Health Sciences Centre.

A 59-year-old man called police reporting his vehicle had been stolen while his 88-year-old father was in the passenger seat.

A male suspect confronted the man outside HSC and, despite an attempt by security personnel to stop the robbery, stole the man’s SUV with his father still in it.

The senior was able to escape by falling out of the vehicle while it was stopped in traffic. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries and is in stable condition.

The stolen SUV was seen driving on Notre Dame Avenue but police were not able to arrest the suspect after a chase that resulted in the stolen vehicle ramming two police vehicles. The SUV was later found abandoned in the Daniel McIntyre neighbourhood.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

Murray said the city has seen a rise in carjackings, in part, because updates in technology have made it more difficult to steal a parked car.

He called it a “crime of opportunity.”

“Car thieves are looking for people that are vulnerable and stealing vehicles that way,” he said.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_