Restaurant robbed with firecracker, taxi stolen, woman arrested: Winnipeg police

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A taxi was stolen and a restaurant was robbed using firecrackers early Sunday morning according to Winnipeg police.

Police were called to River Avenue and Osborne Street around 3 a.m. for reports of a carjacking.

Investigators learned a woman had stolen a taxi and was driving the vehicle toward downtown. Police spotted the vehicle in the area of Young Street and Ellice Avenue and followed her until she became stranded in a snowbank in the 600 block of Balmoral Street.

Police said she ran from the area but was caught and arrested.

After her arrest, police learned she went into a restaurant in the 100 block of Osborne Street and demanded food, using a firecracker. Staff would not give her food, at which point police said she lit the firecracker inside the building, grabbed a pizza and left. No one inside the building was hurt.

After getting food, police said she got into a taxi, but was asked to leave after being belligerent.

The driver, a 54-year-old man, got out of the vehicle and police said that's when the woman got into the driver's seat and started to drive away.

The taxi driver was dragged approximately 10 metres, police said. He was taken to hospital in stable condition with upper-body injuries.

Police have arrested and charged a 31-year-old woman with two counts of robbery, possession of a weapon, two counts of failing to comply with the conditions of a release order and failing to comply with the condition of an undertaking.

She remains in custody and the charges against her have not been proven in court.