Another pedestrian targeted by car thief, say police

Police are warningWinnipeggers to stay on the sidewalks after anotherincident involvinga pedestrian and a stolen vehicle.

Early Saturday morning, a stolen car was rammed into two police vehicles.The same vehicle is also believed to have targeted ayoung woman walking in the Maples neighbourhood.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with several offences, including assault with a deadly weapon, driving without a licence and theft over $5,000.

In a release, police urged Winnipeggers to "use sidewalks wherever possible" and be aware of "vehicles travelling in all directions."Sgt. Kelly Dennison clarified the warning at a Monday-morning press conference.

"We don't want to alarm the public, to have them afraid to go out and walk in their own communities," Dennison said.

"All we're suggesting to the public is to be aware of their surroundings, be aware of who is on the road and where they're walking and where they're running. But don't live in fear that somebody ina stolen vehicle is going to try and run you over."

Police tight-lipped on theft details

Police did not provide further details about the most recent incident, citing concernthat the news coveragewould inspire copycat offences.Dennison said such youngsters thrive on seeing themselves in news reports.

"Do we want to make heroes of these kids? They're criminals, man. They should all be in the youth centre right now. They shouldn't be stealing more cars," he said.

"But the more we put this on TV, the more we write about it in the newspapers this is a big deal for them.Is that what we want?"

Dennison said the police will no longer provide many details of such crimes, including the make of the stolen vehicles.

Police encountered a similar problem a few years ago, when incidents involving youth gangs were grabbing headlines, he said, adding that once police stopped reporting on the specifics, the reported number of gang-related incidents decreased.

Saturday'sincidentisthe second in which car thieves are believed to have targeted pedestrians in recent weeks.

On March 8, a 49-year-old man suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a stolen car on Wellington Crescent. Another jogger suffered minor injuries after being hit by the same car, and several other people in the area said the car tried to hit them, too.

Three teenage boys face numerous charges in connection with the Wellington Crescent incidents; the most serious charges laid are driving dangerously causing bodily harm.