A 32-year-old Brandon man is facing arson and assault charges after people were attacked with a hammer and a house was set on fire, police say.
Police in the southwestern Manitoba city said they were called to the scene on 15th Street Monday afternoon around 1:15 p.m., and while searching for the suspect — whom they tracked down and arrested a short distance away — were called about a house fire on the same block.
Firefighters pulled a man from the burning house and found that he had severe head trauma, which police said was caused by being hit multiple times with a hammer. He was taken to hospital in Brandon before being airlifted to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. As of Tuesday afternoon, his condition was listed as critical but stable.
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Police said they investigated the scene and found that the fire appeared to have been set deliberately. They also discovered a canister of accelerant at the scene of the fire, as well as a hammer believed to have been used in the attack.
A second man also told police he had been struck in the head by a hammer, although his injuries were comparatively minor.
Police said the suspect and both victims know each other. The suspect remains in custody facing charges of aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and arson with disregard for human life.
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