Three people are facing charges and two are in custody after a kidnapping incident at a northern Manitoba fishing spot.
RCMP said the incident took place Tuesday evening, when they received a call about a 20-year-old man who had allegedly been kidnapped by two other men at a fishing camp on Kisseynew Lake, north of Flin Flon, Man.
The caller, a man from Sherridon, told police his son, 36, had been at the fishing camp with two others — ages 20 and 17 — when a vehicle rolled up and its occupants assaulted and threatened the son with a knife.
Police said the three occupants of the vehicle then stole a firearm and physically forced the 20-year-old into his own car and demanded to be driven to Winnipeg.
Before leaving, police say the suspects stole the cell phones from the other two men, leaving them stranded at the fishing camp until the father from Sherridon arrived on scene and discovered what had happened.
Flin Flon RCMP alerted other nearby police agencies, and officers from Cranberry Portage, Flin Flon, and Creighton, Sask., conducted traffic stops along Highway 10.
They found the suspect vehicle, which refused to stop, even after police deployed spiked belts. This led to a chase, police said, which continued into a residential area of Flin Flon, where the suspect vehicle eventually stopped.
RCMP arrested the suspects after a short chase, and found the 20-year-old unharmed but shaken up after the ordeal. Police also seized a loaded firearm and a large filleting knife from the scene.
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Joseph Gunville, of Denare Beach, Sask., is in custody, facing 19 charges, including kidnapping with a firearm, robbery with a weapon, uttering threats and flight from police.
Jeremy Dumas, 23, of Flin Flon, is in custody facing 17 similar charges.
A third suspect, Rozalynn Custer, also of Denare Beach, was released on court-imposed conditions after being charged with kidnapping with a firearm, vehicle theft, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and unsafe storage of a firearm.
Custer will appear in Flin Flon court July 14.
Supt. Kevin Lewis, district commander for the RCMP’s Manitoba North District, called the incident a “tense and dynamic situation.”
“Our police officers risked their own safety by engaging in a pursuit with armed individuals,” said Lewis.
“The professionalism and teamwork of our detachment members resulted in the victim being brought to safety and the suspects being taken into custody without anyone being harmed.
“I am proud of the actions of our members in bringing this event to a successful conclusion.”
Cranberry Portage RCMP continue to investigate.
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