Two Winnipeg men are in custody after an attack police describe as a “serious assault with an ax-type weapon” during a bicycle robbery Wednesday afternoon.
Police said they were called to the 500 block of Sherbrook Street shortly after 2:30 p.m. after receiving reports from multiple people that a man was assaulted with a weapon that was described as a hammer or ax.
The victim, a man in his 20s, was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Police said they detained two suspects after a brief chase on foot. The stolen bike was recovered and the man has been upgraded to a stable condition.
The suspects, ages 32 and 25, face a range of charges, from robbery to aggravated assault, to breach of a release order and weapons charges.
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Const. Jay Murray called a daylight incident like this “horrible.”
“I think a lot of people think that this type of crime only happens under cover of darkness, but the reality is that it can happen at any time,” he said.
“Fortunately, in this case, there were many people who witnessed this assault, many people who were able to help the officers, so it resulted in a quick arrest.”
Murray said there are indications that the suspects and the victim may have met, but the investigation is still trying to determine what that connection is.
“We don’t think it’s a completely random event, but I certainly wouldn’t consider them close in any way. We are still trying to find out what that relationship was. “
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