Car theft is on the rise or the last couple of years in Canada. In many cases, criminals use stolen vehicles to commit another crime and then just abandon it. Some vehicles are found not just in another city, but in another province, sometimes thousands of kilometers away.
On Wednesday, November 14th one of the Winnipeg Police officers received injuries during the arrest of the car theft suspect.
Approximately 10:20 p.m., police spotted a stolen vehicle in traffic. With the help of the Air1 helicopter, they tracked the stolen vehicle to a stop at Talbot Avenue back lane.
Two suspects – a man and a woman – left the vehicle and attempted to walk away, but were caught by police. The male suspect resisted arrest, and during the struggle that ensued, the officer’s hand was broken. After all both suspects were arrested and delivered to the police station. Police discovered keys to the stolen vehicle as well as a stolen debit card when they searched the man.
A 25-year-old Michael Dwayne Gunnar Dahlin faces charges of resisting a police officer, possessing property obtained by crime and driving without a license or with an invalid license.
A 25-year-old Winnipeg woman, whose name wasn’t released, was also charged for possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000, later she was released on a promise to appear.
The investigation still continues, more details will be released in the official police statement.
Unfortunately, such crime is on the rise in Winnipeg and throughout Canada. Stolen vehicles are being reported in Winnipeg every day, most of those vehicles are located by police within few days or found abandoned, but some are never found.