A distressing incident unfolded on Smith Street around 4:15 p.m. on June 11, when an off-duty officer was assaulted and nearly robbed by a man who had just been released from police custody.
The officer was in his vehicle when he was flagged down by an adult male, who appeared to be in distress. The situation quickly escalated when the man opened the driver’s side door and began assaulting the officer unprovoked. Despite the officer identifying himself as an off-duty police officer, the suspect continued his assault, threatening to kill him and attempting to pull him out of the vehicle.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, the officer exited his vehicle, which the suspect then tried to steal. However, the suspect was unable to operate the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. His escape was thwarted by three other off-duty officers who managed to restrain him and place him in handcuffs.
The assaulted officer sustained multiple upper-body injuries during the incident and later sought medical attention.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Kulagbanda Bob UMAR of Winnipeg, had been released from police custody approximately twenty minutes prior to the incident regarding an unrelated matter. UMAR has since been charged with robbery, assault on a peace officer, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, and failure to comply with a probation order. He is currently detained in custody.
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