Man charged in connection with shooting, carjacking and police cars being rammed

A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a number of significant crimes throughout this month in Winnipeg.

He was arrested early Tuesday after a stolen vehicle rammed a police cruiser, drove up on a downtown sidewalk to get around it, then hit a second police vehicle around Broadway and Langside Street.

After crashing into the second cruiser, the man and a passenger ran from the vehicle. At one point, the officers chasing the men were targeted with pepper spray, police said.

However, both men were caught after a short chase. 

Further investigation revealed the 31-year-old was also involved in a shooting on William Newton Avenue in the Elmwood neighbourhood on Nov. 2. A man was was sent to hospital in unstable condition but later upgraded to stable.

Police say the 31-year-old was the one who pulled the trigger on the shotgun.

A week later, on Nov. 9, a man was pepper sprayed and had his car stolen in the city's West End. According to police, the man had advertised the car for sale through social media and had agreed to meet a potential buyer near Sargent Avenue and Beverley Street.

That's where he was attacked by the 31-year-old, police said.

In addition to those incidents, police say the same man is responsible for two other stolen vehicles.

He is charged with numerous counts of assaulting a peace officer, discharging a firearm, assault, robbery, several weapons-related offences, possession of property obtained by crime, and failure to comply with probation.

A 28-year-old man, who was involved in the incident where the police vehicles were rammed, is charged with assaulting a peace officer, possession of property obtained by crime, and weapons offences.