RCMP make arrest in Friday-night Steinbach carjacking

Mounties in Steinbach have a man in custody after a suspect forced his way into a woman’s vehicle, threatened her with bear mace and then drove off on Friday night.

The incident occurred at a park on Giesbrecht Street in Steinbach shortly before 10 p.m. Investigators learned the victim was preparing to leave the area when a man she knew entered her vehicle and made the threats. She escaped, but the suspect followed her in the vehicle, Manitoba RCMP said in a news release Tuesday.

“The suspect eventually continued on, stealing her vehicle, keys and cellular phone. The victim suffered minor but non-life-threatening injuries,” the release said.

The victim, a 43-year-old woman from La Broquerie, reported the incident to police at 2:55 a.m. Saturday and police launched an investigation.

Officers found the stolen vehicle in La Broquerie, about 12 kilometres east of Steinbach, around 3:15 p.m. that day. The driver tried to escape by hitting a parked vehicle and then driving into a ditch, where the vehicle got stuck, RCMP said.

“Police approached the vehicle and arrested the driver without incident. The driver was carrying a knife, which fell from his person upon arrest,” police said.

Officers confirmed the driver was the suspect they were looking for and recovered the victim’s stolen items. They also found the bear mace and methamphetamine that was “ready to be sold,” the release said.

Cody Hartog, 30, is facing numerous charges, including for assault, robbery, trafficking, fleeing police and failing to comply with the conditions of a release order.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca