Sawed-off rifle, hunting knife seized from man found hiding in apartment, police say

A 25-year-old man was found in a Winnipeg apartment building, armed with a rifle and a knife, early Tuesday morning, police say.

Officers were called around 4:45 a.m. about a break-in at a building on Ellice Avenue west of Sherbrook Street, in the city's West End.

They found a man wearing a balaclava, hiding behind a doorway. Officers also found he had a number of weapons, police said.

Those include:

• A sawed-off .22-calibre rifle.
• A pouch containing .22-calibre ammunition.
• A second pouch containing .17 HMR-calibre ammunition.
• A large hunting knife.

The rifle had been altered in order to make it easier to carry and conceal, police said.

"The stock's been removed and the barrel's been heavily cut down but for all intents and purposes, the firearm would still fire. It's basically just the metal innards," said police spokesman Const. Jay Murray.

I don't think he was there to deliver good news.- Const. Jay Murray

"This is just another example of the non-traditional firearms that our officers encounter on the street. Criminals are finding a better way every day of concealing these weapons and it's a continuing danger for our officers."

The man was wanted on five different outstanding arrest warrants.

Although police were called about a break-in, they determined that didn't happen, Murray said.

"The initial call was a resident of that building calling in a panicked state that someone was trying to break down their door," he said. "I don't think we ever determined who was at the door, but it certainly wasn't broken down."

Police also haven't determined why the 25-year-old man was at the building with so many weapons, "so it leaves a lot of speculation," Murray said.

"But I don't think he was there to deliver good news."

The man has been charged with 10 weapons-related offences as well as several counts of failure to comply with previous court orders.