Car theft is a growing problem in Canada, a new report from the Canadian Insurance Bureau says that picky car thieves are increasingly targeting Ford trucks and high-end SUVs. At the same time, the total number of car thefts continues to grow throughout the country.
A carjacking victim has his vehicle back after it was stolen at gunpoint at a Keewatin Street gas station Wednesday morning.
A 27-year-old man says he was approached by a male at a gas station in the 700 block of Keewatin Street while he sat in his vehicle. The man opened his driver's side door and produced a firearm which he pointed at the victim when he refused to leave his vehicle. He then demanded the victim's keys.
The victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition, treated, and released.
Police located the suspect around 8:25 p.m. the same day in the area of Redwood Avenue and Aikins Street, operating the stolen vehicle. He fled from the vehicle but was caught quickly.
From the suspect, a pellet gun was seized and the victim's vehicle was recovered. A 19-year-old man from Winnipeg was charged with armed robbery and a number of firearms offenses. He has been detained at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.
Unfortunately, almost every day a vehicle gets reported stolen, most of them are located later by police on the streets, driven by impaired criminals. Many of such crimes involve youth, they just do it for fun or without thinking, while on meth or under other drugs influence.