WINNIPEG -- Police have laid charges in what they are calling a vicious unprovoked attack in which an exchange student was robbed at a Winnipeg bus shelter.
Officers found the 17-year-old student from India on Tuesday morning with serious upper body injuries.
He was treated in hospital and released, although will require ongoing medical treatment.
The teen came to Canada just weeks ago to attend university.
Police have confirmed to CTV Winnipeg that the suspect was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant. He had failed to follow his parole conditions following his statutory release from Stony Mountain on January 19.
Joshua Zachary Snakeskin, who is 26, faces several charges in Winnipeg, including aggravated assault, robbery and assaulting a peace officer with a weapon.
Police say the suspect in the teen's assault also damaged a parked vehicle's window on Wednesday before he forced a 56-year-old man at Seven Oaks Hospital out of a third vehicle and took off.
Gwendolyn Gervacio said her husband, who was a patient recovering from surgery before the incident, was parking and about to open the door of his car when the suspect approached him.
“He’s trying to pull him out of the car. Took off the seat belt and trying to give him punches and then once he’s knocked off on the floor he took the car and ran off,” Gervacio said.
Gervacio’s vehicle was found abandoned in Gimli, Man., where a pickup truck was allegedly stolen.
Snakeskin was arrested Wednesday night after a pursuit involving both ground patrol and air officers.
Police said the stolen truck's driver aimed the vehicle at an approaching officer at one point in the pursuit when the vehicle got stuck in traffic. The officer jumped out of harm's way.
They also say the truck was involved in three minor collisions during the pursuit, but there were no injuries.
Janet Thordarson told CTV that Winnipeg police called her early Thursday to notify her it was her truck involved and that the vehicle was a writeoff.
Thordarson said she posted a photo of her truck on Facebook and the post was shared hundreds of times. She believes the public helped police track the truck down.
"I'm just really grateful I shared that post and how fast everyone shared it," Thordarson said, "Everyone pieced it together. Everyone was calling the cops all night and phoning them telling the cops they saw the truck."
With files from Sarah Plowman/CTV News
