A dramatic series of events unfolded on Pembina Highway yesterday evening, leading to the arrest of two individuals. The Winnipeg Police Service responded to multiple reports of a vehicle collision with a street light at approximately 5:05 p.m. Witnesses reported that one of the vehicle’s occupants set the interior on fire before both individuals fled the scene on foot.
West District General Patrol officers quickly located the male driver in the 100 block of Lake Village Road following a brief foot chase. A knife and a lighter were found on his person and seized as evidence. The female passenger was apprehended without incident in the rear lane of the 900 block of Chancellor Drive.
Further investigation revealed that the driver had entered a nearby retail business after abandoning the inoperable vehicle, a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up. He accessed a restricted area within the business, stealing two employee wallets and discharging a fire extinguisher before fleeing the scene. No employees or patrons were injured during the incident.
The vehicle involved in the incident had been reported stolen from a Minnetonka residence on May 12. It was also linked to two additional incidents during the week. On May 14, the suspect had trespassed at a sports facility on Portage Avenue, narrowly missing a 58-year-old employee with the stolen vehicle as he fled the scene. On May 16, the suspect attended a music store on Pembina Highway, where he collided with a parked vehicle and drove at an employee, who was able to avoid injury by taking shelter behind a pillar.
The Major Crimes Unit has assumed the investigation into the linked incidents. The driver, identified as 29-year-old Eric Ryan Moore of Winnipeg, faces multiple charges including two counts of assault with a weapon, arson causing damage to property, possession of incendiary material, two counts of theft under $5,000, mischief under $5,000, possession of a weapon, two counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance, three counts of operation of a conveyance while prohibited, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and failure to comply with a probation order. Moore has been detained in custody.
The 29-year-old female passenger faces charges of arson causing damage to property and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. She was released on an Undertaking as mandated by the Criminal Code.
