Front-end loader intentionally crashed into store: police

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This article was published 01/11/2022 (1306 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police are investigating after someone drove a front-end loader into a 7-Eleven store early Tuesday morning.

Police were called to the store located on Main Street near Bannerman Avenue at about 4:30 a.m. The front of the store was heavily damaged and the vehicle had been driven away from the area.

The store was closed at the time. Investigators believe the collision was intentional but have not yet found the construction vehicle, Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jay Murray said.

He said police have a “number of theories” about what occurred and what the operator was specifically targeting in the store, adding investigators believe it was a break-and-enter.

“We have enough evidence at this time to suggest it was intentional.… The vehicle drove into the front of the business — I don’t know if the loader bucket was up or not — it caused a substantial amount of damage… then left,” Murray said.

“We’ve seen this mechanism of a break-and-enter, and it doesn’t happen too often, but we often find stolen vehicles to either ram a business or force entry, and typically in those cases, they’re stolen trucks — it’s extremely rare to see heavy equipment like this be used,” he said, adding it’s a rarity for construction equipment to be stolen.

Police have surveillance footage of the incident, he said.

The front facade of the store was completely destroyed; debris was piled up Tuesday morning where the doors once stood. A crew was beginning the cleanup.

A 7-Eleven executive inspecting the damage as contractors worked would not comment, citing corporate policy, but said nothing had been stolen and “most importantly,” none of his employees had been hurt.

Police ask anyone with information that could help investigators to call the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477. Murray said they hope to identify the loader’s rightful owner.

— with files from Maggie Macintosh

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera