Arrest made nine months after daring jewelry heist
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/05/2014 (4181 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It was one of the more brazen heists in recent Winnipeg history.
And now, nine months later, a Toronto fugitive is in custody following a city police takedown on a western Manitoba highway.
Exactly how police identified their suspect, and the circumstances of his arrest, are shrouded in mystery.
Milorad Nikolic, 36, is charged with robbery and wearing a disguise after allegedly stealing $100,000 in jewelry last August. He is presumed innocent.
Police say a man stormed into the Birks store on Lombard Avenue in mid-morning, ordered staff to the ground and began smashing display cases. He then fled the business — and apparently the city. There were no injuries.
Members of the Winnipeg major crimes unit began an investigation. Last Friday, they stopped a vehicle travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Elie. Inside was Nikolic, a resident of Ontario.
Winnipeg police refused to answer a list of questions provided to them on Thursday, including whether forensic evidence or video surveillance assisted in the probe. They wouldn’t say whether any of the stolen jewels have been recovered.
Police also wouldn’t give any details on the arrest, including why members from Winnipeg would have been out in RCMP country to stop the vehicle. They cited the fact the case is now before the courts and an “ongoing” investigation.
But justice sources told the Free Press there was likely some sort of advance warning and surveillance involved.
Nikolic is no stranger to law enforcement.
He was being sought by Toronto police on warrants for charges including aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. A Crime Stoppers feature on Nikolic described him as being violent and warned citizens not to approach him.
Nikolic is being held in custody at the Headingley jail.
His case was on the docket Thursday only to be adjourned until May 30.
Officials with Birks — both at the Winnipeg store and their head office in Quebec — also declined comment on the arrest when reached Thursday.
www.mikeoncrime.com
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
Every piece of reporting Mike 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.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
Every piece of reporting Mike 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.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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