An SUV with an 88-year-old passenger still inside was stolen during a Monday morning carjacking, Winnipeg police said.
The incident took place around 9:25 a.m. at the Health Sciences Centre. A 59-year-old man told police he had been unloading items out of the SUV when a suspect confronted him and drove off with the vehicle, with the man’s father still in the passenger seat.
Health Sciences security tried to stop the robbery, police said, but the suspect drove off.
A patrol unit found the SUV a short time later on Notre Dame Avenue, and when it came to a stop, the passenger managed to escape with minor injuries.
Police say the stolen vehicle rammed a police car and sped off. It caused damage to a second police vehicle during the pursuit that followed.
Police later found the SUV, abandoned, in the Daniel McIntyre neighbourhood.
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The 88-year-old was taken to hospital in stable condition and treated.
Const. Jay Murray said incidents like this pose extreme risk.
“Often in a situation where they have a suspect driving that’s just recently been amped up or agitated or is on adrenaline after stealing that vehicle, it results in a vehicle being driven very erratically and dangerously on these streets.
“There’s an incredible risk to the public with these stolen vehicles.”
Murray said the tactic of ramming into police vehicles is fairly common practice among auto theft suspects as well.
“Criminals just seem to take it upon themselves to ram cruiser cars. They feel that’s a way to stop a pursuit or disable vehicles,” he said.
“It seems to happen almost daily, whenever we’re involved with one of these investigations with a stolen vehicle.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
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