On August 11, 2023, at approximately 6:10 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service responded to the retail business complex located in the 1400 block of Portage Avenue for the report of a group of youths who had been assaulted and robbed by another group of youth suspects.
General Patrol officers from the West District attended and located two 16-year-old male victims and one 15-year-old male victim suffering from minor injuries within a retail business in the complex. The victims did not require medical attention for their injuries. Multiple suspects fled before police arrived.
In a coordinated effort with the Tactical Support Team and the K-9 Unit, officers arrested eight youths aged thirteen to seventeen in the vicinity. Officers recovered a large knife and an imitation Glock 19 CO2 firearm nearby and seized them as evidence.
The Major Crimes Unit assumed the investigation and learned two groups of youths were involved in a verbal confrontation which escalated with one group physically assaulting three victims who had taken refuge in a retail business. One accused presented a concealed firearm before the assault, and another robbed one of the victims of his cellular phone.
The victims and the suspects were not previously known to one another.
The Major Crimes Unit continues its investigation. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477) or online at winnipegcrimestoppers.org.