Man arrested in Furby Street vehicle vandalism

A man accused of randomly smashing the windows or windshields of nearly two dozen parked vehicles on Furby Street near Sargent Avenue on Wednesday morning has been arrested.

Winnipeg Police Service patrol officers were flagged down by someone in the area around 6:30 a.m., but the suspect had already left. Officers spoke to several victims and looked at home video surveillance that showed a man using a chain to damage the parked vehicles.

Just before 9:30 a.m., police found a man who matched the suspect’s description at Rupert Avenue and Main Street and arrested him. Officers found a chain in his possession.

Phillip Charles Hastings, 30, has been charged with 22 counts of mischief under $5,000, possession of a weapon and a probation order breach.

Hastings has a lengthy record of criminal convictions in Manitoba, dating to 2017, including several assaults, thefts, a robbery, weapons offences, drug possession and 17 past breaches of court orders.