Second teen charged in North End machete attacks

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This article was published 23/08/2024 (386 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A senior is recovering from a random machete attack in the North End that police say involved a trio of young perpetrators, two of whom are accused of a vicious assault on a 15-year-old boy.

The Winnipeg Police Service released new information Friday about an Aug. 4 incident during which an 80-year-old was attacked in the 400 block of Pritchard Avenue.

“(Police) determined a 12-year-old female and two males, aged 14 and 15, had all been in an intoxicated state, armed with some weapons, including machetes and an axe,” WPS spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon told the Free Press.

Prior to the attack, the three suspects confronted a group of individuals outside a residence who retreated indoors, McKinnon said.

The suspects then turned their attention to an elderly man standing nearby who was smoking a cigarette. They fled after the unprovoked attack she said.

Officers were called to the scene around 9:45 p.m. and found the victim with severe upper-body injuries. The 80-year-old was transported to hospital and later upgraded to stable condition.

McKinnon said he needed stitches and other related care.

A 12-year-old girl has been charged with possessing a weapon and assault with a weapon.

Two older boys are also facing charges in the case, in addition to counts related to an attack three days later on another youth they previously did not know.

Michalla Smart told the Free Press that her 15-year-old half-brother “will never be the same” after suffering life-altering injuries and undergoing more than 20 hours of emergency surgery.

“He is lucky to be alive. If (police) hadn’t gotten to him in the time that they did, he would have bled out,” said Smart, adding the boy was left with a severed finger, two broken arms, skull fractures and serious cuts all over his body.

It was about 11 p.m. on Aug. 7 when officers found the teenage boy in critical condition in the 300 block of Selkirk Avenue.

Police previously indicated one suspect was involved and a 15-year-old had been charged with aggravated assault, robbery, possession of a weapon and four counts of failure to comply with a probation order.

On Friday, WPS revealed a 14-year-old had been in a dispute with the victim and assaulted him alongside the 15-year-old.

The initial suspect was located in the neighbourhood, with help from the canine unit, and taken into custody on Aug. 10.

The 14-year-old boy was arrested on Aug. 15 after threatening messages were sent to a social services office, prompting a lockdown and police response.

The teen is facing a dozen charges, including two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a weapon, robbery, uttering threats, mischief under $5,000 and five counts of failure to comply with a sentence.

WPS said both suspects were identified by Project Surge, an initiative to identify and monitor youths who have demonstrated a high risk of committing violent acts.

— with files from Tyler Searle

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh
Education reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.

Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.

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