Police arrested a man in connection to a robbery and break-and-enter on Monday evening.
The incident started at a Food Fare on Portage Avenue near Mount Royal Road.
Food Fare owner Munther Zeid said the man came in to his store around 5:15 p.m. on Sept 5.
Staff said they’d never seen the customer before.
"He was kind of different than most customers, but we thought he just required more time,” said Zeid.
He spent about 40 minutes in the store.
The man took items from one aisle, moved them to another, and eventually into a backpack and garbage bag inside his cart.
Staff tried to stop him when he tried to leave without paying, but he pulled out a large knife and the employees backed away, police said.
“He sort of lost control, verbally,” said Zeid. “Customers were worried. I mean, they backed off right away. In my mind, I was worried about my customers, my staff.”
Shortly after, police said the same suspect broke into a garage on Hind Avenue and began taking items. The owner confronted him, when the suspect again pulled out the knife.
Police spent about 30 minutes looking for the suspect.
The search included officers on foot and a K-9 unit.
"We heard yelling, like, ‘Get down on your knees and put your hands up,’” said Kristen Goodman, who lives nearby.
Police found the suspect around 6:30 p.m. outside a home on Bruce Avenue.
“This is a high priority call. This is a call that's in progress, and we're going to deploy the appropriate resources,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen, with the Winnipeg Police Service.
Nicholas Alfred Wright, 41, has been charged with robbery, break-and-enter and theft, possessing break-in instruments, and assault with a weapon
Police said no one was hurt in the incident.
