RCMP are looking for 62-year-old Michale Klimchuk after he allegedly kidnapped a mother and her child from an area just east of Portage la Prairie.
The incident began on November 25, 2022, around 4:30 pm in Portage la prairie after a man was reported acting erratically and possibly consuming drugs in a van in a hotel parking lot.
Officers responded at upon locating the van and attempted to speak with the male driver. The male initially spoke with officers but then put his vehicle in reverse and slammed into a patrol unit. The driver then drove forward towards the officers in an attempt to hit them. He reversed again and rammed the police vehicle a second time before driving away.
Officers pursued the vehicle which they had learned was stolen out of Winnipeg but had to call off the pursuit when the suspect’s driving became dangerous and he drove toward oncoming traffic on Highway 1.
Around 5:20 pm a 911 call was received and operators heard a male and female voice on the line before it went silent. Police responded to the residence where the call came from and learned that a 25-year-old female and her 2-year-old daughter were abducted and their vehicle taken.
RCMP believed the suspect was heading towards Winnipeg and contacted the Winnipeg Police Service which deployed several units, including air 1, to search for the van.
At approximately 6:30 pm the woman who had been kidnapped contacted police and told them that the suspect had fled the vehicle and she and her daughter were safe and in the Polo Park area.
Police say that the victim and suspect did not know each other.
Michale Klimchuk is wanted by police for two counts of Kidnapping, two counts of Forcible Confinement, Abduction of a person under 14, Three counts of Assault with weapon on a police officer, Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and Possession of stolen property over $5000
Klimchuk is 5’8”, 220 lbs, has long brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket and light-coloured pants. He is believed to be in the Winnipeg area.
