‘I had no idea what to do’: Winnipeg business owner robbed by axe-wielding suspects

A Winnipeg business owner is in shock after being robbed by two-axe wielding suspects at his computer repair business.

Rui Dias was working in the back of his shop, Nothing But Tech Computer Repair on Main Street, around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when the suspects stormed through the back door of his shop.

“I come in the evenings, I do my work in the evenings, I normally have my door open just so I can enjoy a little bit of summer,” Dias told Global News.

“I’m working and all of a sudden two people, male and female, walk into my shop, storm in with an axe and they start swinging in front of me and the one man kicks the dog and he runs away.”

Dias says when they first barged in, he momentarily thought it was a joke.

“I thought it was one of my friends playing a prank on me, but when the axe came up, this is not a joke,” he said.

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“Then he proceeds to tell me to get on the floor and I grab my cellphone, so they ask me for my cellphone, still swinging that axe in front of me.”

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Dias says the suspects then began stealing numerous items, including desktop computers, laptops, and other merchandise. The incident was caught on surveillance footage.

“I didn’t want to get hurt I didn’t want to pursue, I just wanted to make no trouble and get them out of the shop,” he said.

“Finally we get up he comes to the front with me, he’s panicking saying I have a panic button somewhere. I don’t have a panic button. I’m just telling him I don’t want any trouble, I just want him out of the store, my phone back and that’s it.”

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Dias says the suspects traded his phone back in return for his truck keys and took off. Winnipeg police were able to recover his truck nearby.

A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Police Service says the Major Crimes Unit is investigating, but no suspects have been arrested.

Dias estimates the suspects stole about $25,000 to $30,000 worth of equipment, which is covered under insurance. He says he’s had his business in that Main Street location since last July, and he’s never had any issues with crime in the past.

“The stuff that happened last night is going through my head over and over and over again,” he said.

“I don’t understand how anybody can do that to somebody.”