Man seriously hurt in random hatchet attack

A man has been charged after a victim was hit in the head with a hatchet in a random attack Monday.

The Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday that a man was walking east on Ellice Avenue when he passed by another man walking in the opposite direction shortly before 12:30 p.m.

Shortly after, the man headed east heard footsteps behind him and turned to see the stranger standing behind him, wielding a hatchet.

After being struck, the 26-year-old victim went to a nearby business. He was taken to hospital in stable condition, where he was treated for serious injuries.

The major crimes unit identified a suspect and arrested him outside an apartment complex on the 400 block of Beverley Street shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday.

A 20-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and failing to comply with a probation order. He was detained in custody.

The man has prior convictions for violence. Court records show he pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count each of robbery and robbery with a weapon. He was sentenced to the equivalent of three years in prison and two years supervised probation.

In September 2023, the man pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and was sentenced to nine months in jail.