Man shot by police in Portage la Prairie allegedly stole guns, luxury car from rural home
Hunt for suspect in city west of Winnipeg prompted school lockdown, vehicle searches on Tuesday
The man shot Tuesday afternoon following a police search and school lockdown in Portage la Prairie, Man., had stolen guns and a Buick LaCrosse hours before he was confronted by officers, Manitoba RCMP say.
According to police, just before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, a man and two female suspects arrived in a car at a rural home on Highway 26 in St. Francois Xavier — about 30 kilometres west of Winnipeg — demanding the owner's guns and keys to his luxury car.
The trio then set the car they had arrived in on fire and took off with the weapons in the stolen Buick toward Portage la Prairie, approximately 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg. The homeowner was left unharmed.
Less than an hour later, the stolen car was found by police with the two female suspects inside. They were arrested.
With the male suspect still on the loose, Portage la Prairie schools were put on lockdown, and residents were told to close and lock their doors and windows. Police officers also searched vehicles leaving the city in an effort to locate the suspect.
The search for the third suspect ended at around 6 p.m. Tuesday east of Portage la Prairie, when police were tipped off to a suspicious man walking toward Highway 1.
During their arrest of the man, he was shot. His injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.
RCMP said they believed him to be armed but have yet to confirm whether he was found with a weapon.
Manitoba's Independent Investigation Unit, which looks into into all serious incidents involving police in Manitoba, is investigating the circumstances around the man's arrest and what led to his gunshot injury.