Intoxicated assailant stabs one senior, assaults another in Garden City ‘nightmare’ home invasion

A 23-year-old man with a lengthy rap sheet is accused of barging into a northwest Winnipeg home Monday evening and randomly assaulting two elderly residents as they relaxed in their living room.

The couple — a man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s — were sitting in their Meredith Bay home when a stranger entered the house through an unlocked door at about 6:30 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday.

The stranger, who armed himself with a knife he found inside the house, attacked the couple from behind, punching the woman and stabbing the man, before quickly running outside, police said.

At this point, investigators don’t know what motive, if any, the attacker had.

“This is a violent breach of societal trust,” said police spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon, describing the home invasion as a “nightmare.”

“You’re supposed to be safe, you’re at home, you’re in a neighbourhood that you trust. This is one of the ultimate breaches to a citizen’s safety — being in their home and being violated like this, and then seriously assaulted.”

“This is a violent breach of societal trust.”

McKinnon said home invasions such as the Monday incident are uncommon.

“The randomness… is out of the ordinary,” she said.

McKinnon said violent home invasions are typically precipitated by some prior dispute, while most other break-and-enters, including while people are home, are committed to steal goods.

She advised all Winnipeg residents to ensure their doors are locked.

Someone — it’s unclear, exactly, whether it was one of the victims, another resident or a neighbour — called 911 after the man fled.

Paramedics treated the woman at the scene but rushed the man to hospital in unstable condition, where he was later upgraded to stable. McKinnon said WPS victims services workers have been in touch.

“The randomness… is out of the ordinary.”

Shortly after the incident, police officers found an “extremely” intoxicated man near the home, arrested him and seized a knife.

McKinnon was not sure what substance or substances he was on.

Ryan Chase George, 23, is charged with breaking and entering to commit aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. He was detained in custody.

His next court date is Sept. 25.

George has numerous prior convictions for possessing weapons and breaching court orders.

He’s also been convicted of uttering threats, obstructing a police officer and assaulting an officer.

George was barred from owning weapons for life after pleading guilty in August 2024 to several firearms possession offences he committed in November 2023.

He was given a total of 540 days in jail, less time served, which amounted to 144 days going forward.

Most recently, on Aug. 5 this year, George pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and failing to comply with a release order, specifically a condition not to possess weapons, relating to an incident in May.

He was given credit for the 30 days he spent in custody ahead of his plea and released after the sentencing hearing last month.

Residents described the Garden City-area neighbourhood where the attack occurred as quiet.

One Meredith Bay resident was alerted by a neighbour Monday evening that something was going on down the street.

He stepped outside his home to see a swarm of police vehicles on the bay.

“I’m shocked,” the resident said.

“We have a park nearby and that always brings people to the area.”

Seven people, including a family of five and a couple renting the basement, live at the home where the attack occurred, according to the nearby resident.

He wasn’t sure who was home at the time of the home invasion.

The resident heard from others that the suspect got into the home through the back lane.

The Meredith Bay resident said while this is the first incident of its type that he knows about, he’s noticed suspicious-looking individuals with increasing frequency in the area of late.

“We have a park nearby and that always brings people to the area,” he said. “I don’t think something like this will ever happen again, but you always keep an eye out for people these days.”

No one answered the door at the home where the home invasion occurred when a Free Press reporter visited Tuesday afternoon.

— With files from Nicole Buffie

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca