Manitoba community left shaken following two-day manhunt for high-risk suspect
Following a manhunt that spanned two days, Manitoba RCMP arrested a suspect deemed a high risk to the general public.
Mounties issued an emergency alert to the public around 7:00 PM Wednesday, warning of 38-year-old Wesley Manfred Wadien – a man the alert said was considered armed and dangerous. The alert urged people in Selkirk, Winnipeg and the Interlake to use caution.
Wadien was arrested later Wednesday evening without injury or incident in a rural area in the RM of Rockwood.
RCMP previously said Wadien was wanted for uttering threats and pointing a firearm, along with multiple other arrest warrants.
None of the charges have been proven in court.
Linda Tyerman lives in Balmoral, not far from where the Wadien was taken into custody. She said it was scary knowing the suspect was on the loose.
“We locked our doors stayed inside, talked to my daughters made sure they were all secure,” said Tyerman.
Ron Pozernick had just come in from walking his dog when he saw the alert.
"It had a lot of people nervous last night, including me,” said Pozernick.
The search ended southwest of the Town of Balmoral, where RCMP took the suspect into custody safely.
Just prior to the capture, Lois Howard said she noticed an unknown man on her property.
“(I) went outside and asked him what he was doing in my yard," said Howard.
At that point, RCMP cruiser cars flooded her driveway.
“They came out of their cars, I could see rifles – he took off,” she said.
Howard said officers told her to hunker down in her house and that’s when reality hit.
"I walked in the living room and the alert was on TV and it was like, oh my goodness,” said Howard.
Mounties said the suspect was wanted for pointing a shotgun and uttering threats over the noon hour Tuesday in Selkirk.
Pozernick would like to know why the alert wasn’t sent until late Wednesday.
Over the course of the manhunt, a few schools were put in hold and secure protocols and police say the suspect evaded capture on two occasions.
According to court records the suspect has a lengthy criminal record with convictions for weapons offences, break and enter, uttering threats, several court breaches, and assaulting a peace officer.
RCMP said measures to warn the public were based on a risk assessment as the investigation unfolded.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.