Loaded sawed-off shotgun pointed at woman during Winnipeg robbery, police say

A 25-year-old man has been charged after a violent armed robbery in Winnipeg on Tuesday, police say.

A woman, 25, was on the 1400 block of Main Street around 1:20 a.m. when she was confronted by a man demanding she hand over her personal property.

When she refused, the manpulled out a sawed-off shotgun and pointed it at her.

Police said the manthen hit the woman with the shotgun, took her bag and fled.

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Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver said officers, with the help of the police helicopter, quickly found a man a few blocks away. The shotgun and the woman's property were found during the arrest, he said.

"This was a loaded sawed-off shotgun, easily the potential to have killed this victim, easily, and for what?" Carver said.

"I don't really know what you do with a stolen cellphone and it was a small amount of personal property. It just makes no sense and it had the potential, again, to have a tragedy here really for nothing."

The man faces a slew of charges, including robbery with a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.

Carver said the suspect is well-known to police.