On Friday night police got a call about a robbery on Tupper Street in Portage la Prairi. When officers arrived at the location, they got a statement from two mugging victims. They were robbed at knife-point by two male thieves and the backpack was stolen along with a cell phone, cash money, and a debit card.
While Portage RCMP was investigating this case, another robbery was reported in the area with similar circumstances, but this time a screwdriver was used as a weapon.
Very soon police had located both suspects and placed them under arrest. With a search warrant, police searched the house on 2nd Street NW Portage and found a stolen backpack.
Suspects identified as a 20-year-old Christian Meeches of Long Plain First Nation and also 20-year-old Harlen Hart from Winnipeg. Both suspect facing multiple charges for robberies and failing to comply with probation.
Such petty theft crimes are on the rise throughout Canada, criminals turn to knives and screwdrivers to scare the victims so nobody will resist. But, unfortunately, sometimes robberies like this end up with somebody getting injured or killed over a cell phone or a purse. So all of us should be careful, try not to walk alone at night and avoid bad areas of our cities.