Suspect arrested after three women randomly assaulted in downtown skywalk

Winnipeg police arrested a man accused of randomly assaulting three women who were walking to work in the downtown skywalk system early last Thursday morning.

At about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 8, a woman was walking in the Millennium Library skywalk when a man grabbed her and tried to take her backpack, the Winnipeg Police Service said Monday. The woman, who was hurt but didn’t need medical attention, yelled at him and ran off.

Between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m., a man confronted a second woman in the Graham Avenue skywalk, screaming obscenities at her and pushing her against a railing before he ran off.

A short time later, the suspect confronted a third woman in the Graham Avenue skywalk, slapping a coffee cup from her hand as he threatened to stab her, police said. The man picked up the cup, threw it at the woman and pushed her, but he ran off as she defended herself.

Police foot patrol officers identified and found their suspect at about 7:30 a.m., still in the skywalk system, near St. Mary Avenue.

Randy Herman, 40, is charged with two counts of assault and one each of robbery, assault with a weapon and uttering threats. He was held in custody.