Thief steals cruiser after accomplice rams it with a stolen car: Winnipeg police

A smashed vehicle, with broken piecesscattered around an intersection and against a building, was the focus of a large police presence after a wildMonday night in northeast Winnipeg.

"This is an incredibly chaotic scene" thatincluded officers shooting guns, stolen vehicles, a rammed police car that was later stolen, a building smashed into,and "multiple, multiple [police] units in the area,"Winnipeg police spokespersonConst. Rob Carversaid.

"I'm shocked at the whole thing.Really shocked."

It all startedjust before 9 p.m. whenofficers patrolling the neighbourhood spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolendriving near Munroe Avenue and Watt Street.

As police pursued it, the vehicle came to a dead-end lot. The cruiser pulled in to block the vehicle, which turned and drove directly at the officers, who fired guns in response, Carver said.

The stolen vehicle rammed the police car, moved it out of the way and sped off. A short distance away, the vehicle slammed into a building at the corner of Watt Street and Larsen Avenue.

I'm shocked at the whole thing, really shocked."- Const. Rob Carver

Police arrived moments later and used "a significant amount of force," including a Taser, to arrest a male inside, Carver said.

The force was required because the male whose age police have not yet released was resisting arrest and fighting off the officers, Carver said.

During that commotion,a second male that had been in the car but escaped before police arrived, snuckinto the parked police cruiser and drove off.

The stolen cruiser was driven through the areauntil it was abandoned near Harbison Avenueand Glenwood Crescent. That malehas not been caught.

Carver did not have a description of that second male and said it is not yet clear which of them was behind the wheel of the original vehicle.

Carver hoped to have more information oncecharges were laid. Those arestill being worked out because there are numerous offences, he said.

No one was seriously injured during the violent night, Carver added, noting the shots fired by the officers did not strike either of the males

As for the theft of the cruiser, ithas prompted the police service to re-examine its protocols, he said.

"It's concerning and certainly, we're looking at not only policies, but systems to see whether or not we can make some changes that will limit that from happening again," Carver said.

Less than a month ago, another Winnipeg police cruiser was stolen during a high-speed chasethat ended near Portage la Prairie.

More news from CBC Manitoba: