Two Winnipeg men are in custody after an attack police are describing as a “serious assault with a hatchet-type weapon” during the theft of a bike Wednesday afternoon.
Police said they were called to the 500 block of Sherbrook Street just after 2:30 p.m. after receiving reports from several people about a man being assaulted by a weapon that was described as a hammer or an axe.
The victim, a man in his 20s, was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Police said they took two suspects into custody after a short foot chase. The stolen bike was recovered, and the man has been upgraded to stable condition.
The suspects, 32 and 25, are facing a raft of charges, from robbery, to aggravated assault, to failing to comply with a release order and weapons charges.
Const. Jay Murray said a brazen daylight incident like this is “horrifying.”
“I think a lot of people think this type of crime only happens under the cover of darkness, but the reality is it can happen at any time,” he said.
“Fortunately, in this case, there were a lot of people who witnessed this assault, a lot of people who were able to assist officers, so it resulted in a quick arrest.”
Murray said there’s some indication that the suspects and victim may have known each other, but the investigation is still trying to determine what that connection is.
“We don’t believe it’s a completely random event, but certainly I wouldn’t consider them close by any means. We’re still trying to work out what that relationship was.”