Male youths charged in life-threatening machete attack Manitoba’s machete-restricting law comes into effect Dec. 31 By: Scott Billeck Posted: 11:29 AM CST Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 Last Modified: 12:29 PM CST Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 Updates

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Winnipeg police say a man in his 20s will have long-lasting physical and emotional trauma after the city’s latest machete attack over the weekend.

The victim was leaving an Elmwood home he had been socializing at in the 300 block of Keenleyside Street just before 7:45 p.m. on Friday night when he was jumped by three unknown males who were in the upstairs suite, according to police. The victim was allegedly attacked with a machete and sprayed with bear spray.

The assault required a pair of life-saving tourniquets to be used by responding officers before the victim was taken to hospital in unstable condition.

He has since been upgraded to stable after significant medical treatment, police say.

“This particular incident, this attack, was quite severe, quite serious,” WPS spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said Sunday. “The injuries were life-threatening, so the application of the two tourniquets was instrumental in providing some stability to the victim.

“This person will have to live with the physical and mental trauma (this attack) brings.”

On Watt Street, police managed to track down all three suspects, who matched a description given to officers. Two of the suspects were taken into custody after a short foot chase, with the third getting away.

A 14-year-old has been charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, while a 16-year-old is charged with aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a weapon and five counts of failure to comply with a sentence.

“The part we all need to be concerned about is that it’s becoming commonplace to see people that are such a young age involved in such violent acts,” Chancy said. “It’s a combined effort between police, government, social entities, community entities that will help mitigate these types of incidences and arrests of young people.”

Increasing reports of violence perpetrated by young people armed with machetes prompted the provincial government to move to restrict access to the weapons. Manitoba is just days away from the implementation of new requirements for those who sell or buy bladed weapons.

Chancy said police are hopeful that new legislation, which comes into effect on Dec. 31, will help curb the violence.

“It’s becoming commonplace to see people that are such a young age involved in such violent acts.”–Const. Claude Chancy

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The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act will require purchasers to be at least 18 years of age and show valid identification that retailers must record and retain for at least two years.

“We hope it will help mitigate the sale of these sharp-edged weapons to people that are using it for purposes they’re not meant for,” Chancy said. “We’re hoping it helps a lot with the incidents that we see.”

City police don’t specifically track machete incidents; they’re included in the force’s knife-related violent crime statistics. On that front, violent crime involving knives has declined since 2023. There have been 1,088 violent crimes involving knives reported to WPS from January to September 2024, which is a decrease of 11 per cent compared with the previous year, but it’s a 5.2 per cent increase compared with the five-year average.

The 2024 statistics are preliminary and it’s expected to take several months before the police stats reflect any changes owing to the new legislation, WPS stated.

Police, meanwhile, are asking anyone with information about Friday’s attack to contact Major Crimes investigators at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.