Man charged with kicking officer

A man faces charges after police say he stole merchandise from a downtown store and kicked an officer in the head while being arrested.

Members of the Winnipeg Police Service foot patrol unit were on duty Tuesday around 6:30 p.m. when they were alerted to someone trying to steal items from a store on the 300 block of Portage Avenue.

A 37-year-old man was arrested and police say he verbally threatened one of the officers, the WPS said in a Wednesday news release.

As the accused was being placed in a cruiser, he kicked one of the officers, police said. The officer did not require medical attention.

The man is charged with assaulting a peace officer, uttering threats and theft under $5,000. He was detained in custody.