Downtown stabbing suspect arrested

A 38-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with two downtown stabbings on Aug. 30. The two male victims are recovering in hospital.

The suspect was arrested at about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 30 after he swam back to the Red River bank in Point Douglas and police found him in the river. He’s accused of stabbing two people downtown Friday evening. In the first incident, he allegedly stabbed a man he knew in a park near Portage Avenue and Carlton Street at about 8 p.m. The victim, in his 50s, had to receive an emergency chest seal and was taken to hospital in critical condition. He’s since stabilized, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Sunday. After that stabbing, the suspect fled and two individuals followed him and confronted him in the area of Garry Street and Graham Avenue. The suspect then stabbed one of them, a man in his 20s, in the abdomen at about 8:30 p.m. The victim was also taken to hospital in critical condition but has since stabilized.

WPS said the suspect boarded a bus and then fled on foot. He was found swimming in the river after an extensive search.

Gun-waving driver suspect detained

A man is accused of pointing a handgun at the occupants of another vehicle while driving along Kenaston Boulevard Saturday night.

A 32-year-old man is charged with several firearms offences. The Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release that he was allegedly driving erratically southbound on Kenaston and at one point pulled up parallel to another vehicle and pointed what looked like a handgun at the driver and passenger. Those victims called police, who found the suspect vehicle parked in the 400 block of Sterling Lyon Parkway. A male was seen getting out of the vehicle and dumping something in the garbage.

Police seized an air pellet gun from the garbage and took the man into custody, where he remained Sunday.

Three fires

under investigation

Winnipeg fire-paramedic crews responded to three residential fires on the night of Aug. 31, including a fire in a vacant property.

All three fires are still under investigation.

They all happened within an hour in the 1900 block of William Avenue West, in the 600 block of Sherbrook Street and in the 400 block of Langside Street.

Residents of a two-storey residence in the 1900 block of William Avenue West self-evacuated before crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the building at about 8:37 p.m. Crews had the fire under control at 9:34 p.m. and assessed one person on scene, but didn’t transport them to hospital. At 9:37 p.m., crews responded to reports of a fire in a vacant home in the 600 block of Sherbrook Street. Crews searched the property and didn’t find any occupants. The fire was brought under control at 10:14 p.m.

Crews responded to the Langside Street fire at 9:42 p.m. Residents evacuated the two-storey house before crews arrived and no injuries were reported.