A police officer was treated in hospital after being poked with a used needle during an arrest in St. Boniface Saturday.
Police said it happened at around 10:50 a.m., when officers responding to an increase in property crime were on patrol in the first 100 block of Marion Street.
Police allege they found a crowbar on a man they had spotted urinating in an alley.
He was arrested, and it was while searching him that the officer was pricked by an uncapped, used needle in the man’s pocket, attached to a syringe that appeared to have blood inside it.
“I can’t imagine what this officer is feeling right now,” said Const. Jay Murray, referencing the sense of uncertainty that can follow such an event for first responders.
“He’s on medication now,” Murray said, adding it’s fortunate medications are available to reduce the potential risk of infection.
During the arrest, police also seized a second syringe and methamphetamine they said was worth around $90 on the street, along with a number of tools.
A 35-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of break-in instruments.
