A Winnipeg man is looking for answers after a weapon was pulled on him and his main method of transportation stolen.

“My heart jumped. I started running after him,” said Chris Johnson.

Johnson depends on his motorized tricycle, something he custom-built with the help of a friend.

It was stolen early Thursday morning night.

Johnson said it happened after he rode his trike home Wednesday night and was drying it in the hallway just outside his apartment door, something he’s done many times before.

Around 12:30 a.m., he heard something.

“He had it outside, down the steps already,” said Johnson. “I was screaming, hollering.”

Johnson said he tried to run after the suspect, wearing only socks on his feet. He chased him down Balmoral Street, near Granite Way, where a cyclist heard him calling for help and stepped in.

The suspect then got off the trike, and at that time Johnson thought he would get it back. He said the suspect turned around, and pulled a weapon on him and the cyclist.

“I knew it was best to back off, and just to avoid anything going further,” said Johnson.

Johnson called police, who arrived within minutes.

He said getting around is more of a challenge now.

“Especially in my case, where I am disabled, and I needed the tricycle to get around. It’s a little bit frustrating that this would happen,” said Johnson.

When Johnson was 17, he told his doctor that his right arm wasn’t functioning as well as his left, something he’d noticed for a while.

He was eventually diagnosed with Arteriovenous Malfunction – a congenital condition that can cause serious health issues. Because of this diagnosis, Johnson had to undergo several surgeries, and each time, he said he had a stroke.

During his fourth surgery, he said he had his worst stroke yet.

“I actually lost complete use of the right half of my body,” Johnson said.

He had to recover for two months following that surgery.

Johnson, who is an avid cyclist, was no longer able to ride a standard bicycle. In 2017, he launched a fundraising campaign, in hopes of raising $2,500 so he would be able to build a motorized tricycle that would fit all of his needs.

He said within a day, he was able to raise the cash. Johnson ordered parts, and began building with the help of a friend. By last spring, he was out riding his new trike.

Now, his hard work and main method of transportation is missing.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact police.