Canada Day in Winnipeg marred by gang fight, machete attack

Three men were taken to hospital one in critical conditionafter being stabbed duringa gang fight in a Winnipeg restaurant parking lot on Canada Day.

Nearby, earlier the same evening, a teenageboy was slashed with a machete during a fight at The Forks skateboard park. The boy was taken to hospital in stable condition.

"We're certainly looking into the possibility that it is gang related or gang motivated," said Const.Jason Michalyshen.

It wasa busy night for police, with nearly 800 calls for service, said Michalyshen.

The brawl happened inthe parking lot of Earls Restaurant on Main Street, which wassurrounded Thursday morning in yellow police tape. Bloodstains on the pavement as well as a switchblade were marked by police evidence tags.

Police said 300 to400 people were in the fenced-off lot for Canada Day celebrations. The event wasbilled as the fourth annualCanada Day Block Party, "just steps away" from the main events at The Forks.

The violence eruptedat about 12:40 a.m.

The police service's organized crime unit is investigating.

Machete attack

The machete attack at The Forks happened at about 8:30 p.m., asthousands of people gathered for Canada Day.

The teen and another malewere fighting with a large crowd of people around themwhen a third man jumpedinto the mix and slashed one of the males with the machete.

• Winnipeg police investigate Canada Day stabbing at The Forks

A 20-year-oldman hasbeen charged with:

• Assault with a weapon.
• Possession of a weapon.
• Failure to comply with court conditions.

The fight was caught oncellphonevideo by one of the witnesses and posted toFacebook. Police said the video helped in their investigation.

Forks spokeswoman Chelsea Thomson saidclose to 100,000 people attended one of the busiest Canada Day events at the site in nearly 20 years.

"For the most part, everything went really well, so it's really unfortunate that this has to scar what would have been an otherwise perfect day," she said.

"We take public safety very seriously here at The Forks every day and even more so on Canada Day. We work very closely with the Winnipeg Police Service."

Thomson said there were 15 times the number of security staff and police at the site on Wednesday as there are on a normal day.

Violence in 2014

It's the second year in a row that Canada Day was marred by violence in Winnipeg.

Last year,a 28-year-old woman was shot and killedon Donald Street, just off Broadway.

• Canada Day violence leaves 2 dead in Winnipeg

As well,two people were stabbed near the Via Rail station not far from where Wednesday's incident happened leaving a 25-year-old mandead and another man in critical condition.

The business association for downtown Winnipeg said despite the violence, the area is safe.

"It seems to be a small little blip that is fuelled by alcohol, humidity and dense crowds," said Downtown Winnipeg BIZ executive director Stefano Grande. "While unfortunate, we feel, overall, the downtown is a great place for festivals and events."

Grande said there are more than 100 events in downtown Winnipeg every year, with more than one million visitors and there is little to no violence.