Woman ‘nearly killed’ in Osborne Village robbery; 17-year-old girl arrested, charged By: Erik Pindera Posted: 12:46 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2025 Last Modified: 7:40 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2025 Updates

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A woman in her 20s is recovering in hospital after she was stabbed and “nearly killed” in a random robbery outside her Osborne Village apartment while returning home from work earlier this week.

Police have made one arrest and are looking for other suspects.

The victim, who was walking to her home on Roslyn Road off Osborne Street Sunday shortly before midnight, was accosted from behind by several people and pushed to the ground.

She was stabbed and her cellphone was taken, but she managed to get the knife away from the attacker and held on to it while the beating continued, said WPS spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon.

“At that point, you’re just in shock… under these circumstances you’re working under adrenaline — this was a life-or-death situation,” said McKinnon. “Her injuries are very severe… a very brave individual.”

A group of nearby Roslyn Road residents, who had stepped outside to smoke, saw the woman being attacked and yelled for the muggers to stop.

“They shouted and screamed and alerted the suspects,” said McKinnon.

The bystanders immediately called for police, shortly after midnight, and the attackers fled as soon as they heard emergency sirens nearing.

“Thank God (the attack) was disturbed and she was able to somehow defend herself,” said McKinnon. “It’s awful… she’s just so traumatized.”

Paramedics rushed the victim to hospital in critical condition, where doctors have upgraded her condition to stable.

The victim had taken the bus home to the neighbourhood from her food-service job elsewhere in the city, as she had commonly done in the past.

“Somebody who’s out there working hard, coming home in the later hours of the night… just completely taken by surprise, randomly, and to be nearly killed — it’s unfathomable.”–WPS Const. Dani McKinnon

“Somebody who’s out there working hard, coming home in the later hours of the night… just completely taken by surprise, randomly, and to be nearly killed — it’s unfathomable,” said McKinnon. “This could happen to absolutely anybody.”

McKinnon said she doesn’t believe police have managed to recover the victim’s cellphone.

Major crimes detectives have arrested a 17-year-old girl.

The accused teen has been charged with robbery, aggravated assault and seven counts of breaching a release order. She’s being held in custody.

“Regardless of which side of the justice system you sit, it’s a concern,” McKinnon said, pointing to the multiple alleged court order breaches.

She described the teen, who is known to police, as a “high-risk individual.”

The victim is an international student, social media posts made by her brother indicate.

She was stabbed multiple times, including in the back, stomach, legs and near her left eye, the posts said, and has required several major surgeries.

“People come to Canada expecting to be safe and that they will be treated well, and we’re not able to provide that apparently, right now.”–Zohreh Gervais

“We want justice,” reads one of the posts.

Osborne Village BIZ executive director Zohreh Gervais called the attack “devastating.”

“Any time that people experience violence, it just shows that we are failing in the system of protecting people. That means both the person who (allegedly) perpetrated the crime, being only 17, has clearly fallen through the cracks systemically, and that this also happened to a young woman, who’s an international student, it’s doubly heartbreaking,” said Gervais.

“People come to Canada expecting to be safe and that they will be treated well, and we’re not able to provide that apparently, right now.”

Despite the attack, Gervais said Osborne Village has seen safety improvements of late. With an increase in police foot patrols and other initiatives, fewer concerning incidents have been reported, she said.

“I just hope that when we experience really tragic events like this that it rings a bell to politicians. This is an urgent issue that needs dealing with, it’s not just something to keep pushing off,” said Gervais.

But more could be done immediately, she added.

“A lot of things that happen, happen late at night.… Having police officers in the Village later at night would be fantastic,” she said, noting police foot patrols tend to stop around midnight.

She said the BIZ has long sought additional lighting on streets and in alleys from the city without success, as well as additional surveillance cameras in certain parts of the neighbourhood.

The organization’s community safety team, which provides safe walks and other services, also ends work at about midnight, she said, adding the BIZ is looking at expanding its hours of operation.

Police ask anyone with information or video related to the attack to contact them at 204-986-6219, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca