Suspect in Nairn Avenue standoff faces multiple charges, including arson

One man is responsible for a series of crimes that ended with a man running into a fortified home, barricading himself inside with four other people and setting the building on fire, Winnipeg police say.

A 29-year-old faces multiple charges, including break and enter, arson, uttering threats, possession of stolen property and theft, in connection with the crimes.

While the theft, car chase, home invasion and alleged arson all happened on Thursday, it started with a carjacking near the intersection of Cavalier Drive and Portage Avenue more than a week ago, on May 14.

A week later, licence plates were stolen from a vehicle on Talbot Avenue that were then put on the vehicle from the carjacking.

Police think the series events on Thursday may have started with a firearms-related incident at a home in the Chalmers area at about 1:15 p.m.

About half an hour later, merchandise was stolen from a store on Nairn Avenue near Kent Road, and a man fled in the vehicle that had been reported stolen on May 14, with the stolen licence plates attached to it.

The vehicle was seen speeding, ignoring traffic signals and travelling in the oncoming lane before it crashed into another vehicle on the Nairn overpass just a few of minutes after the theft.

A man took off on foot and police chased him. At one point, he turned around, grabbed at the waistband of his pants and threatened to shoot the officers, police said.

He then ran uninvited into a house on Nairn near Allan Street, setting up a standoff that lasted for more than six hours.

It's unclear what relationship the suspect might have had with the people inside the house, but Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Jay Murray said he was familiar with the home.

"The four residents, at least some of them, didn't know who this individual was," Murray said. "Some of them may have known him from around the area, or staying there once in a while, but I wouldn't even call him an acquaintance."

More than 30 police units, including the armoured vehicle, surrounded the house, which was fortified with bars over the windows and a front door reinforced with wood and rebar.

After the man went into the house, one of the residents immediately left. Over the next few hours, the tactical support unit removed the other residents.

The fire started shortly after 8 p.m. and the suspect started calling out for help, saying he was burning alive, and police moved in to get the man out.

"Officers approached this residence while it was on fire to pull somebody out of a residence that was threatening their colleagues just hours earlier," Murray said.

The man was taken to hospital as a precaution due to possible smoke inhalation.

The house suffered an estimated $100,000 in damage and a pet cat might have died, but other than that, there were no serious injuries, Murray said.

... we feel that this summer is going to be unlike any other summer.- Const. Jay Murray on the rise in meth-related crimes

"You look at this situation and how it unfolded and there's a million things that could have gone wrong," he said. "You have to make these decisions on a split second and hope they go positively.… Unfortunately there was a house that burned, and maybe a cat that perished, but I think in the grand scheme of things and how it was handled, it was near textbook."

Police suspect drugs, likely methamphetamine, played a role in the crimes. For months, police have been saying they are seeing an increasing number of bizarre and violent crimes involving people using meth, and they're predicting a challenging summer.

"Anecdotally, from what I've seen, and in speaking with other officers, we feel that this summer is going to be unlike any other summer," said Murray. "We don't know what the future can bring, but based on what we've seen there, certainly the methamphetamine crisis has increased the demands on police resources."

Police have increased mental health training to help them deal with people in meth psychosis, said Murray.