A Winnipeg taxi driver is facing multiple charges in connection with a string of violent incidents dating back to October 2022, including one in which someone was assaulted with a machete.
Winnipeg police say they arrested the 23-year-old man at his home after the windows of a hotel and beer vendor were smashed last week.
Officers went to the Four Crowns Restaurant and Hotel around 4:20 a.m. on Aug. 8 after receiving a report several men were damaging the storefront.
Investigators say a few hours prior, a man went to the business and an argument broke out between him and a security guard. The man fled in the taxi before returning later to smash the windows while trying to conceal his face.
Four Crowns owner Ravi Ramberran told 680 CJOB last week that his business has been hit with vandalism and robberies over a dozen times.
“They smashed about eight windows and one door on the beer store there, and just very nonchalantly and they didn’t really care to cover their identity very much either, so it just shows how brazen and no fear for law exists with these guys,” he said.
Ramberran estimates the damage from this incident is upwards of $20,000.
“To do business in the city is becoming very tiresome and extremely expensive. We have to spend so much money on security protocols before we can even open our doors and start making money. You know, it’s the Wild West right now.”
Police say through investigation they identified a suspect in both incidents and executed a search warrant at his home in the 100 block of Mosselle Drive and arrested the man.
The suspect was also charged in relation to several other incidents, including a machete attack on Oct. 27, 2022. A 27-year-old was assaulted in a parking lot in the 1300 block of McPhillips Street after an argument broke out between two groups.
The accused is also alleged to have been involved in a road rage incident on March 7 when a 30-year-old driver was forced out of a vehicle and threatened by a suspect brandishing a knife. No one was hurt.
The 23-year-old faces multiple charges, including one count of mischief, disguise with intent and assault causing bodily harm, two counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of possession of a weapon.
He was released on an undertaking.
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