A 19-year-old is facing a list of charges after officers chased a stolen vehicle through central Winnipeg.
Police said it began in North St. Boniface Thursday at around 3:55 a.m., when officers in the Air1 helicopter spotted a vehicle stuck in snow near a baseball diamond in Whittier Park.
The helicopter tracked the vehicle after the driver managed to free it, with officers noting it fit the description of a Toyota Corolla that had been stolen recently in Tyndall Park.
Officers on the ground caught up with the car and ran its plate, confirming it was stolen, but were unable to get the driver to stop. Police said instead the driver sped up, but officers successfully used a ‘Stop Stick’ tire deflation device in the area of Main Street and Higgins.
Police said after that the vehicle got stuck at the entrance of a back lane near Central Park, where the driver refused to get out and continued to attempt to drive away.
He was eventually pulled from the driver’s side window. Police allege officers found an 18-inch machete, a small amount of meth, break-in tools and an ammunition cartridge in the car.
Officers believe the same suspect was involved in a home invasion in the Spence neighbourhood the day before, during which a machete was used and two victims were hurt.
Winnipeg resident Joseph Peter Hunter, 19, has been charged with numerous offences, including theft of a motor vehicle, possession of meth and aggravated assault.
Police also said there was already a warrant out for arrest.
