A suspect is in custody after what Winnipeg police are calling a “random, unprovoked” stabbing at a Transcona-area restaurant Thursday night.
Officers were called to the Olive Garden on Reenders Drive around 8 p.m., where they found an 18-year-old victim with serious stab wounds being tended to by good Samaritans at the restaurant.
The woman, who the Olive Garden confirmed Friday was an employee, was taken to hospital in unstable condition, later updated to stable.
Police said the suspect fled the scene before they arrived, but was tracked down to the 1500 block of Regent Avenue and arrested after a brief struggle. Officers seized an edged weapon that they believe was used in the incident.
Further investigation determined that the suspect was a customer at the Olive Garden for about an hour, before stabbing the woman repeatedly in the upper body “without warning or provocation”.
Police said there’s no indication that anything in particular pushed the man to commit the assault, and that the victim and suspect weren’t known to each other beforehand.
The suspect, 27-year-old Winnipegger Robert Alan Ingram, is in custody and has been charged with aggravated assault, possessing a weapon, and failing to comply with a probation order.
Ingram is known to police and has several prior convictions.
In 2021, he pleaded guilty to 15 counts of arson after being charged in a string of fires, including one on the St. Boniface Hospital grounds in May of 2020.
His sentence included a mandatory 10-year weapons prohibition.
Last year, court records show, he was convicted of failing to comply with a probation order.
Prior to the fires, the accused was also convicted of mischief, theft and failing to comply with probation orders.
A spokesperson for the Olive Garden said the company is happy to hear the victim is recovering.
“This incident involved one of our team members. We are thankful that our team member is expected to make a full recovery, and we are grateful to the first responders who responded so quickly.
“Our focus is on supporting our injured team member and all team members in the restaurant. We will continue to assist local authorities with their investigation.”
With files from Nicole Buffie