An unprovoked stabbing at a Winnipeg mall has raised safety concerns for shoppers.
Tuesday afternoon’s incident, according to police, happened when two men in their 40s were sitting on a bench in CF Polo Park, when they were approached by a knife-wielding suspect who stabbed both in the upper body.
The victims helped mall security restrain the 20-year-old suspect until police arrived, but the brazen nature of the attack, which happened just before 4 p.m. in a mall full of shoppers, has raised plenty of eyebrows.
In a statement Thursday, a spokesperson for mall owners Cadillac Fairview told 680 CJOB Polo Park officials are doing what they can to help police with the active investigation.
“We take the safety and security of our clients, guests and employees very seriously and are cooperating with the police investigation,” the spokesperson said.
Ron D’Errico of Impact Security told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg he feels Winnipeggers are making connections that aren’t there thanks to coincidental timing.
“It looks like we’re in a bad spell for the moment, but appearances are deceiving — I’m confident that the city is still relatively safe,” he said.
“I just think (there were) a few coincidental incidents that people are lining up.
“I don’t think that Winnipeg needs to be alarmed, I don’t think we’re in a crime zone, I don’t think people need to go outside packing firearms to go shopping… it’s not an ‘Escape From New York‘ by any means. It’s just a few bad eggs out there causing problems, it’s nothing Winnipeg hasn’t seen.”
D’Errico said in his work he does see familiar faces getting caught shoplifting and committing other non-violent retail crimes time and again.
“I do see a lot of it on the retail side where we have repeat offenders and shoplifting rings,” he said.
“These are crimes that are not done to cause physical harm in the majority of cases, people have addictions, people have a need to provide some kind of income.”
Const. Claude Chancy of the Winnipeg Police Service told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show that nothing seems to have precipitated the attack, and while these kinds of random incidents aren’t exactly common, it’s still important for Winnipeggers to remain vigilant.
“These are acts of random violence, and it’s very concerning they’re happening in public places,” Chancy said.
“It has an impact on not only the safety concerns of the public, but it has an emotional impact on our community as well.
“The thing people have to remember at this time is we don’t have to focus on this random violence. (People are) still free to go about and do their business, and we want people to feel secure and being able to do that, (but) we do have to be cognizant of certain factors when people do go shopping so they remain safe.”
Chancy said some of the common-sense safety tips include being aware of your surroundings and avoid distractions when out in public — in a mall or elsewhere — which means don’t have your face planted in your smartphone, tuning out everything around you.
You should also keep personal belongings out of sight to avoid theft, even if you’re going from place to place.
“Trust your instincts,” he said. “If your situation feels unsafe, remove yourself from that situation. Avoid walking alone — we always say there’s strength in numbers.
“If you see something suspicious, this is a very important one — report it immediately to security and call police if it is an emergency situation.
“We want people to remain safe and enjoy this holiday season.”