North End robbery suspects arrested carrying concealed weapons

Winnipeg police arrested four young men after a robbery Thursday morning, and said there may be more suspects on the lam.

The call came in at 8:30 a.m., and officers responded to the Esso gas station at the corner of Salter Street and Flora Avenue.

Police said a group of people had entered the gas station and began grabbing things off the shelves.

When the store clerk confronted them, one suspect told him they “could do what they want.”

The suspects continued pillaging the shop and upon leaving, one man pulled out a large machete and threatened the employee.

The employee was not hurt, but the suspects fled on foot. When officers arrived on scene, they tracked the men down — three were found in the 500 block of Selkirk Avenue and the other in the 500 block of Burrows Avenue.

The cops searched the suspects and found two fake firearms and one machete, all hidden in the men’s clothing.

“One male was armed with a replica handgun which was strapped to his neck and hidden underneath his hood,” Const. Tammy Skrabek said. “A second male was armed with a replica handgun that was underneath his clothing, and the third male was apprehended with a machete that was tucked down the front of his pants.”

“The potential for this to be an extremely violent episode was there,” Skrabek said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The potential for this to be an extremely violent episode was there," Skrabek said.

“It’s concerning because regardless of whether it’s a replica handgun or whether it’s real, we don’t know the difference,” she continued.

“Had officers gone there while the robbery was in progress and one of the people had either pulled it out or the officers had seen it, now we’re talking about a potentially deadly encounter where use of force could have been used, and it could have been a lethal encounter.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Had officers gone there while the robbery was in progress and one of the people had either pulled it out or the officers had seen it, now we're talking about a potentially deadly encounter where use of force could have been used, and it could have been a lethal encounter."

Police also believe there may have been more people involved in the robbery.

“Information is that several other people also were in the store at the same time, so we do believe we’re looking for at least one or two other suspects,” Skrabek said.

The suspects — two aged 18, the others 15 and 20 years old — face various charges for robbery and possession of weapons and remain in custody.