'Planning to attack me': Woman shares warning with others after attack in south Winnipeg

Rebecca Rempel said she was attacked in south Winnipeg on Victoria Day and is sharing her story to help others who might end up in a similar situation. (Photo submitted May 25, 2023, by Rebecca Rempel)

A woman is sharing a recent experience where she said she was attacked in south Winnipeg, in hopes others will be more vigilant in their daily activities.

Rebecca Rempel said she had parked her vehicle in a parking lot near the intersection of St. Mary's Road and Dakota Street on Victoria Day around 6 p.m. as she was making a quick stop in the area.

As she was walking back to her vehicle, she said she noticed two people hanging out around it and immediately felt uncomfortable.

"So I headed back into the nearest store…and I let the man that was working there know that there were some sketchy people sitting at my car and I just wanted to wait inside," said Rempel.

After waiting a few minutes, she noticed the people were walking away in the opposite direction from where she was and she felt safe enough to go to her vehicle.

"When I started walking towards my vehicle, and I was at this point (where I was) closer to my van than I was to the store, (one person) had turned around and all of a sudden he started sprinting towards me and had a look as if he was planning to attack me."

By the time Rempel got to her car, she said the man had draped himself over the door and prevented her from getting inside.

She said he started reaching for her wallet and she gave him around $2 in quarters but tried to explain she didn't have any other cash.

"He looked up at me as if he was furious that I didn't have anything to give him. And that's when he lunged backwards to reach down and as soon as he moved his arms, I slammed my door shut and locked it."

By the time she was trying to drive away, she said she looked up and the man was blocking the front of her vehicle and appeared to have some sort of sharp object in his hand.

Rempel was able to back up and use the exit that was behind her.

She said she wasn't able to call police right away as her phone was dead, but called 911 about 15 minutes after the incident when she was picking up her kids.

Rempel was physically unharmed, but noted she did end up going to the hospital afterward because she was in a state of shock.

ADVICE FOR OTHERS TO STAY VIGILANT

Following the incident, Rempel wants to share her experience and hopefully help others who might have to deal with a similar situation in the future.

She said everyone should be aware that it can happen at any time, in any part of the city.

She recommends always having your phone charged or having a charger handy, as well as any devices that could make noise and alert other people that there is a problem.

Lastly, she feels it's important to let others know where you are and what you are doing, just in case something happens.

"I was going to pick up my daughters, but I had never mentioned that I was making a stop and so had something happened, no one that knew me would have known where I was."

CTV News Winnipeg did reach out to police, who confirmed the major crimes unit is working on the file. Police said more details about the incident might be shared next week.