A 20-year-old man is in custody after police allege he went on a spree on Tuesday that involved knocking coffee on someone’s face and throwing lit cigarettes and hot tea at various individuals.
Around 6:05 a.m., police say a male was walking near Notre Dame Avenue and Winnipeg Avenue West when a suspect, without being provoked, knocked the male’s coffee onto his face and torso.
The suspect then reportedly went to a restaurant, where he jumped a counter and asked to use a phone. While there, police allege the male suspect grabbed a female employee, stole a phone and threw a carafe of hot tea at customers, which hit a wall. Officers say the workers crawled through the drive-thru window to get away.
Police say shortly after, the suspect went to a gas station in the Weston/Brooklands area and stole a pack of cigarettes and began smoking them inside. He also allegedly vandalized and stole a drink from the store, threw lit cigarettes and merchandise at a female worker, and held a lit lighter up to a gas nozzle.
Officers say he then went to a convenience store where he asked to use a phone, threatened to kill a male worker and stole a pack of cigarettes. He reportedly smoked the cigarettes inside the store and started pacing until police showed up.
Officers used force to get the suspect into custody, and because of his agitated behavior he was taken to hospital for treatment. Police believe drug use may have played a part in the incident.
Drew Matthew Towns, 20, from St. Jean Baptiste, Man., has been charged with several offences including two counts of assault with a weapon and three counts of robbery.
