Man sentenced to six years in prison for random stabbing at Winnipeg Olive Garden

A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to six years in prison for stabbing an 18-year-old server at an Olive Garden restaurant in June.

Robert Alan Ingram, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and was sentenced to six years in prison, minus time served. He also received a lifetime weapons ban and an order to provide a DNA sample to the Winnipeg Police Service. Two other charges against Ingram, including violating a probation order from a previous arson charge, were stayed.

According to a court audio recording, on June 8 Ingram went to the restaurant on Reenders Drive and had three beers, while being served by a different staff member. He left for a brief time before returning and ordering another beer.

The court heard the victim was serving another table when Ingram approached her and “without warning or provocation” stabbed her in the neck, knocked her to the ground, got on top of her, and continued stabbing. He eventually fled the restaurant and was later arrested by Winnipeg Police in a nearby parking lot, where officers found the bloodied weapon on him.

The victim was rushed to the Health Sciences Centre in unstable condition. She suffered a stab wound to the chest that punctured and collapsed her lung, as well as stab wounds and lacerations to her wrist, arms, neck, and leg.

According to police statements, Ingram told officers his motivation for the attack was out of a desire to land himself in Stony Mountain Penitentiary, something the judge described as “a frightening example of someone picking somebody randomly to fulfill a bizarre purpose.”

Emotional victim impact statement

The victim gave an emotional victim impact statement in court saying June 8, 2023 was her first night working a serving shift. She had been a hostess at the restaurant before and had been striving to begin serving.

She said her physical injuries have been detrimental to her life. She had to have staples put in her stomach, arms, chest, and neck, which still cause her issues. She wasn’t able to shower properly or wear her hijab, she said.

“I used to be very active. I went to the gym and played basketball regularly, but since the incident, I’ve had trouble going up the stairs and quite literally holding my head up,” she told the court.

She said she spent five days in hospital, but had to return after being released due to a panic attack.

She said it has taken an extreme emotional toll. In the past, she’s dealt with racism, depression, insomnia, and loss, but nothing has affected her like the incident on June 8.

“None of it compares to those first few weeks back at home, awake at three in the morning clutching a kitchen knife under my pillow in the sweltering heat because I couldn’t bring myself to close the window for fear you had somehow escaped and were waiting for the right moment,” she said through a shaking voice.

She also addressed Ingram directly in court.

“I wish you had chose not to stab someone that day but – and this is a bit personal – I am thankful you chose me. I really am, because not a single one of the grandmas taking their kids out to dinner deserved to be stabbed that night, or any of the kids on staff,” she said.

“Not a single soul deserved to feel like their last breath was going to be at 18-years-old with nothing to their name.”