Woman beaten, man stabbed in latest downtown attacks

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This article was published 11/03/2023 (950 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A woman was beaten and a man was stabbed in separate attacks downtown Friday, the latest in a string of violent incidents in Winnipeg’s core.

Around 8 p.m. Friday, a 47-year-old woman was assaulted in a random attack near Main Street and James Avenue in the Exchange District, Winnipeg police said Saturday.

Officers determined the woman was near the intersection when a suspect approached and attacked her, causing her to fall and strike her head on the concrete. The beating continued until a good Samaritan intervened, police said.

Paramedics assessed the victim at the scene. She did not require hospitalization.

A 39-year-old Winnipeg man was arrested shortly after and charged with assault.

Three hours earlier, a man was taken to hospital after being stabbed in the upper body on the 200 block of Hargrave Street.

Police found the 46-year-old victim around 5 p.m. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but later upgraded to stable.

“The investigators could not confirm whether or not the incident was random in nature or if the suspect and victim were known to one another. We will update at a later date once the investigation progresses,” Const. Claude Chancy said in an email statement Saturday.

Police have made no arrests in the case, saying the suspect fled before officers arrived.

The major crimes unit continues to investigate.

The two attacks are the latest in a surge of violence downtown.

On March 1, a group of international students from Providence University College and Theological Seminary was injured in an unprovoked daylight attack.

The four men, aged 19 to 23, were near Fort Street and Graham Avenue around 3 p.m. when they were assaulted. Three of the victims received minor upper-body injuries, while a 20-year-old was knocked unconscious and lost a tooth after being repeatedly punched, police said.

A 22-year-old man, who was arrested nearby, is facing three counts of assault and one count of assault causing bodily harm. He was released on a promise to appear in court, which police said is mandated by the Criminal Code.

The attacks prompted Providence to increase its security at its downtown Winnipeg campus.

“It’s very disturbing,” said Kent Anderson, the Christian university’s president, told the Free Press Thursday. “We appreciate this is a problem that extends to the whole city. When it affects our people, obviously, the problems of the city come close to home for us.”

Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy was charged Thursday in relation to a spree of bear spray attacks in the West End and downtown Feb. 19

Police are seeing an increase in the number of assaults reported downtown, Chancy told the Free Press after the charges were announced.

Substance use is a common contributing factor in many incidents, he said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca