Martial arts teacher’s sex-crimes arrest generates wave of additional tips to police

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This article was published 27/09/2017 (2943 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than a dozen possible victims, witnesses and parents have contacted police since the arrest of a Winnipeg firefighter and martial arts instructor accused of sexually assaulting a girl and a woman and paying for sex with a youth.

Winnipeg police spokeswoman Const. Tammy Skrabek said people are responding to her public plea earlier this week for victims of the accused or anyone else with information to contact investigators.

“I call it a success,” Skrabek said Wednesday. “They’re witnesses, possible victims and parents of (the accused’s) former students. They haven’t been followed up, but they will.”

Manuel Vladimir Ruiz, 52, a firefighter for 24 years, was arrested last Friday and charged with two counts of child abuse sexual assault, sexual interference, obtaining sexual services from a person under 18, and luring a child. He is in custody.

The city has confirmed that it has removed Ruiz from active duty as a firefighter.

Ruiz also owned Bissett Jiu-Jitsu, a former martial arts studio at 80 Sherbrook St., and he is listed as the chief instructor at Ronin Ryu School of Martial Arts at 1777 Portage Ave.

According to information on the Ronin Ryu website, Ruiz says he has trained Winnipeg police officers and First Nations band constables, and he provided bodyguard services for “numerous dignitaries” from 1995 to 2005.

Ruiz is accused of paying for sexual services with an underage youth he found through an online advertisement from November 2015 until recently.

He is also accused of meeting a girl in 2001 and, after developing a relationship with her, sexually assaulting her at his martial arts studio on Sherbrook Street.

As well, a woman, who was an adult at the time, says she was sexually assaulted by Ruiz somewhere else in the city between December 2005 and December 2006.

Skrabek said the continuing investigation will likely be lengthy.

“He owned a number of different clubs and he travelled throughout the province,” she said. “We’re looking at the potential for young women all over the place. The officers, when other names come forward, will do cold calls to them and say ‘if you want to talk to us, we’re here. And, if victims and witnesses are found who say ‘you need to get hold of this female,’ we will.

“The officers assigned to this… this will be their job for a while.”

Police are asking anyone with information to call the counter-exploitation unit at 204-986-3464 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca