A pair of suspects are facing 16 charges between them after two armed robberies on Monday night, according to Winnipeg police.
Officers attended the 500 block of St. Mary’s Road at 11:44 p.m. for a report of a man and woman both believed to be armed with a firearm and chasing another man. A gunshot was also heard.
Officers could not find the victim but were flagged down by a witness who reported seeing a woman on the hood of a vehicle nearby.
Consequently, they found a man in his 20s who said he was driving on St. Mary’s Road when a woman stepped out in front of his vehicle and jumped on it. A man then approached and robbed him of his car at gunpoint.
While officers were on the scene speaking with the victim, the stolen vehicle drove past and crashed into a nearby utility pole.
Two suspects fled the car, but with the support of AIR1 and ground units, both were found attempting to hide in the neighbourhood.
Two weapons were recovered – a sawed-off .22 calibre rifle and a replica airsoft handgun, police said.
During the investigation, it was determined that a second robbery had occurred before the vehicle was stolen, resulting in the initial 911 call by the man who had been chased.
The man in his 30s had been in the area when two suspects confronted him at gunpoint. He said they demanded his property and when he ran, a shot was fired in his direction. The victim was uninjured and fled but did not immediately report the incident.
Both suspects were charged and detained. The man remains in custody and the woman was released on an undertaking.