Drunk driver allegedly approached officers, then fled

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This article was published 04/02/2025 (415 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A driver reportedly approached police with what appeared to be an open alcoholic drink before driving over an officer’s foot while fleeing.

The Winnipeg Police Service said officers were at the scene of a motor vehicle collision in the area of Ellice Avenue and Colony Street shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday when a driver unrelated to the crash stopped a vehicle behind their marked cruiser car.

“He engaged the officers in conversation while displaying signs of impairment” before returning to his vehicle, the WPS said in a news release Tuesday.

Officers told the man to remain there, but he drove over an officer’s foot while reversing and fled, the release said.

A passerby saw a man outside a vehicle in the area of Pembina Highway and Bairdmore Boulevard shortly before 8:30 p.m. and contacted police because they suspected he had been driving while intoxicated.

Police arrested a 21-year-old Winnipeg man. He has been charged with assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and two impaired-driving offences. He was detained in custody.

“It was very odd,” Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Stephen Spencer said. “It shows just how a person’s decision-making is skewed when they’ve had too much alcohol.”

Spencer added the officer who was hit by the vehicle did not require medical attention.