A Winnipeg man is facing charges after police say he stole and subsequently crashed an ambulance before going on to swing a stolen axe at a homeowner.
Police were called to the Health Sciences Centre around 2 p.m. Wednesday after a man took off in an ambulance that had been parked in a loading area.
They say the man had approached paramedics outside the ambulance, asking for help, before rushing through the back doors and into the driver’s seat.
The suspect drove to a parking lot in the 1500 block of Wall Street where he crashed into a parked car and abandoned the emergency vehicle, police say.
Police say the man then fled on foot into the nearby neighbourhood, breaking windows of homes in the 1300 block of Downing Street and stealing an axe from a yard.
When he was confronted by a homeowner, police say the suspect took a swing at the man with the axe, but missed.
Officers eventually found the man, still armed with the axe, in a nearby backyard.
Police say no one was physically injured.
A 34-year-old man is facing a list of charges including theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of mischief under $5,000, and assault with a weapon.
Police haven’t said what motivated the incidents or whether drugs or alcohol played a role.
The man remains in police custody.