The man police allege was behind the wheel of a stolen fire truck that went on a joy ride through downtown Winnipeg last week was on bail at the time of his arrest, Global News has learned.
Bai Farama Koroma, 36, is facing charges after a fire truck was stolen from the scene of a medical call on Henderson Highway Friday afternoon leading police on a chase through city streets.
According to court records, this isn’t Koroma’s first brush with the law.
In 2005, Koroma was charged with armed robbery but ended up being found not guilty.
He was found guilty of possessing property obtained by crime and assault with a weapon in September 2005.
And documents also show Koroma was out on bail for a domestic assault charge from October when he is alleged to have stolen the fire truck.
On Saturday Koroma faced new charges in connection with the fire truck theft, including stealing a vehicle, driving without a license, impaired driving and possessing a weapon.
Koroma remains in custody and is presumed innocent on all of the latest charges.
Koroma’s Facebook page shows he is originally from Freetown, Sierra Leone and that he’s released a number of rap songs online.
Police say the stolen fire truck caused thousands of dollars of damage during its roughly 15-minute chase Friday afternoon, including crashing into a truck on Henderson Highway which ultimately sheared off a hydro pole and knocked out power for customers in the area.
The fire truck eventually broke down under the Midtown Bridge bridge where Winnipeg police said officers needed to use their Tasers to subdue the driver.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service says their vehicles are routinely left running while at scenes to keep compartments warm for patients and crews and to make sure the equipment and medications are at the right temperatures.
The city says they can’t comment on any anti-theft systems while the investigation is ongoing.
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