A 31-year-old woman was arrested after demanding food at an Osborne Village pizza shop, threatening workers with a firecracker when denied, then stealing a taxi cab and dragging its driver a short distance, Winnipeg police say.

Officers were called to River Avenue and Osborne Street for a reported carjacking at about 3 a.m. Sunday. A 54-year-old taxi driver told them his vehicle had been stolen, city police said Monday.

Police saw the vehicle near Young Street and Ellice Avenue, and followed it to the back lane on the 600 block of Balmoral Street, where the taxi got stuck in the snow.

A suspect ran from the vehicle. Officers arrested an “unco-operative and combative” woman after a short chase, police said.

Police linked the suspect to a robbery at a pizza shop on the 100 block of Osborne Street, shortly before the carjacking. The suspect set off a firecracker in the crowded restaurant after workers wouldn’t give her food, police said. No one was hurt.

The suspect then grabbed a pizza and fled, trying to get a ride in a nearby taxi.

The cab driver told her to get out because she was belligerent, police said. The driver got out of his seat, but the suspect got behind the wheel, peeling off as the man held onto the vehicle.

He was dragged about 10 metres. He was later taken to hospital in stable condition.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

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A 31-year-old Winnipeg woman is charged with two counts of robbery, one count of possession of a weapon, two counts of fail to comply with the condition of a release order, and one count of fail to comply with the condition of an undertaking.

Police are still investigating the incidents and ask anyone with information to call the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.