Carjackings rising in Winnipeg: police

Officers with the Winnipeg Police Service are investigating two carjackings that took place over the weekend, with the city seeing a notable rise in carjackings over the last few years.

The first incident took place around 5 p.m. on Saturday when a number of people called police to say they witnessed a woman, who was the victim of a carjacking, jump from a moving car in the area of Grant Avenue and Wilton Avenue.

When police got to the scene, they found a woman in her 20s who was injured. The victim was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Officers allege the woman was parked in the 1200 block of Grant Avenue when a man got into the car and assaulted her.

Police describe this man as being 25-35 years old, with tanned skin, a shaved head that was growing out, and shaved beard. Officers said he is about six feet tall with a medium stocky build.

Police found the stolen car in the 900 block of Carter Street with no one inside.

The second separate incident took place on Sunday. Police said around 11 p.m. they met with a caller who had been carjacked earlier in the evening.

The victim, who is a man in his 30s, said he was parked by Cumberland Avenue and Carlton Street around 7:45 p.m. when a woman came up and asked for a smoke.

Police allege the woman then took out a knife, with a second suspect, who was a man armed with a gun, showing up and confronting the victim.

Winnipeg police said the two suspects stole some of the victim’s personal property and then drove off in his car.

The victim was not hurt.

Police describe the female suspect as white, 25-35 years old, with brown hair in a ponytail. At the time of the incident, she was wearing a baseball cap and a black jacket in a button-up or zip-up style and a strap over the shoulder.

The male suspect is described as white with fair skin, between 25 and 35 years old, with dark eyes and several tattoos. He was wearing a black hat and a black sweater.

The stolen car was later found unoccupied in the 100 block of Garry Street.

The major crimes unit is investigating both of these incidents. Anyone with information is asked to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

In a Monday news conference, Const. Jay Murray said without any arrests it’s difficult to know what the motives were in the two carjackings.

“We often see people steal vehicles to commit other crimes or as a method of transportation,” he said.

A RISE IN CARJACKINGS

The Winnipeg Police Service is reporting a steep climb in carjacking over the last few years in the city.

Between 2013 and 2017, there were no more than 50 carjackings in a year. Then that number began to rise, with police reporting 103 carjackings in 2018, 126 carjackings in 2019, 113 in 2020, and 125 in 2021.

Between January and April of 2022, police said there have been 59 carjackings. This includes 26 incidents in January alone, which is more than any other month since 2013.

“If you look year to year, there is certainly a trend when it comes to carjackings,” Murray said.

“Right around 2018, 2019, there’s a significant jump in carjackings year to year. That number seems to be slowly growing.”

Murray noted that around 2018 to 2019, police saw the use of methamphetamine grow in Winnipeg. He said this has correlated to a rise in property crime.

“That number seems to stay. I think as we come out of the pandemic, we’re looking to see what the new normal is,” he said.

“Unfortunately, that number continues to grow. If the first four months of this year are any indication, it will probably be another high number for us.”

Murray said some ways to try and protect yourself against carjackings are to lock your car and be aware of your surroundings.

“The nature of carjackings is that they can be incredibly tough to prevent as well,” he said.