A 27-year-old man is in custody after allegedly attacking a passenger on a transit bus and then assaulting a school-aged child in the Unicity area.
The incident took place Saturday at around 12:30 p.m. Winnipeg police said in a release that the suspect was on a parked transit bus in the 3600 block of Portage Avenue when, without provocation, he approached and assaulted a 66-year-old man on board.
The victim was not injured, and the suspect was asked to get off the bus.
A short time later, the suspect went into a nearby store, grabbed a baseball bat and assaulted a school-aged child in the upper body. The attack knocked the child to the ground, where the suspect allegedly continued to assault the child. The child’s father intervened and fought off the suspect before he fled the store.
Store staff contacted police. The child was taken to hospital in stable condition.
The suspect then made his way to a collision repair centre in the 3500 block of Portage Avenue where he allegedly stole a customer’s keys. Police responded quickly and arrested him at the scene.
Winnipeg police say the victims did not know one another.
The suspect has been charged with aggravated assault, assault, and theft under $5,000.
He remains in custody.
