Arrest made in assault on child outside school

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This article was published 12/10/2022 (1332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police have arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman on a city bus and hitting a child outside of a Transcona elementary school.

The 31-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was charged with assault and sexual assault Tuesday. He was released by the courts on an undertaking.

On Sept. 25, a woman was riding an eastbound Regent Avenue bus at about 6 p.m. when a male passenger groped her, the Winnipeg Police Service said Wednesday.

The woman confronted the man and told the Transit driver of the assault, police said. The WPS sex crimes unit began an investigation.

On Tuesday, at about 8:30 a.m., officers were called to an elementary school in the Transcona neighbourhood, where a child had been punched by a man while walking in front of the facility, police said.

The suspect was arrested nearby.

The incident happened at Wayoata School, while children were getting off a school bus, a letter sent to parents Tuesday obtained by the Free Press shows.

The letter, from principal Carol Kovacs, describes the assault as a backhand, rather than a punch. Supervising staff intervened and took the students into the school, where staff called 911, Kovacs wrote.

The school then enacted a hold-and-secure, which entailed locking all exterior doors while the children continued normal school routines.

The school’s police resource officer stayed at Wayota, while other WPS officers searched for the suspect, the letter said.

“We took every measure to ensure the safety of our students and staff, and we commend them for responding in a calm, controlled manner,” Kovacs wrote, adding the school would have additional staff supervision at the end of day Tuesday to reassure the students.

“This incident is something that has shaken all of us in the division and we are relieved to know the student is doing well,” said River East Transcona School Division’s senior communications co-ordinator, Amanda Gaudes. “Supports for our students have been and will continue to be available as needed.”

Police said the child was treated by paramedics for a minor injury. The student then went home with their parents, the principal’s letter said.

The school’s resource officer recognized the man as the suspect in the bus assault, police said Wednesday, which sex crimes unit investigators later confirmed.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera