On May 5, 2023, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service responded to the 1400 block of Portage Avenue for the report of several youths who had been stabbed.
Special Duty officers nearby attended to three 14-year-old male victims and one 13-year-old male victim suffering from upper and lower-body injuries from a stabbing. Officers provided emergency medical care to two 14-year-old males by applying tourniquets to their injuries. Both were transported to the hospital and treated for their injuries, while the third 14-year-old victim and the 13-year-old victim were treated by members of the WFPS and medically cleared on scene. The lone male suspect fled before the police arrived.
Officers from the West District, assisted by members of the Tactical Support Team, searched for the suspect in a coordinated effort. At approximately 9:20 p.m., TST members located the suspect in the 200 block of Queen Street and arrested him without incident. The weapon was recovered from his person and seized as evidence.
The Major Crimes Unit assumed the investigation and learned the suspect attempted to rob one of the victims of property and proceeded to attack them after he was unsuccessful. In addition to the stabbing incident, investigators also learned the suspect had been identified as a suspect in a string of violent pizza delivery robberies and mischief to property incidents detailed below:
- March 10, 2023: The suspect attended the 100 block of Hill Street and spraypainted the rear side of a residential garage.
- March 30, 2023: The suspect attended the 200 block of Youville Street and spraypainted the rear side of a residential garage.
- April 25, 2023: The suspect and two yet-to-be-identified suspects attended the 1800 block of Ross Avenue and robbed a 28-year-old male pizza delivery driver of pizza at knifepoint. All suspects fled before the police arrived. The victim suffered a minor upper-body injury as a result of being stabbed during the robbery and received treatment for his injury.
- April 26, 2023: The suspect and three yet-to-be-identified suspects attended the 500 block of Dubuc Street and robbed a 23-year-old male pizza delivery driver of pizza at knifepoint. All suspects fled before the police arrived, and the victim was uninjured.
- April 29, 2023: The suspect and two yet-to-be-identified suspects attended the 500 block of Dubuc Street and robbed a 23-year-old male pizza delivery driver of pizza. The suspects assaulted and stabbed the victim in the upper body. His vehicle was also damaged. The suspects fled before the police arrived. The victim was transported to hospital in unstable condition and required surgery for his injury.
The suspect(s) are all previously unknown to the victims, and investigators believe the incidents to be random.
A 16-year-old male from Winnipeg is facing the following charges:
- Robbery x 4
- Aggravated Assault
- Assault with a Weapon x 5
- Possession of a Weapon
- Mischief Under $5,000/Obstruct in Enjoyment
He was detained in custody.
The Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate these incidents. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).