Car thief causes $120K in damage after crashing stolen vehicle
Helicopter, Find My Phone used in 'real grinder of a night' for police
The driver of a stolen vehicle caused close to $120,000 in damage Monday morning when he slammed into a major Manitoba Hydro power line as well as a traffic control panel.
The collision was one of four incidents Winnipeg police responded to over the weekend involving stolen vehicles.
"It was a real grinder of a night," said Const. Jay Murray at a press briefing Monday.
The stolen vehicle involved in the collision was first spotted near Logan Avenue and McPhillips Street at about 12:15 a.m.
As AIR 1 began to track it, the driver lost control near Logan Avenue and Sherbrook Street.
He tried to take off on foot, but was arrested on Alexander Avenue, Murray said.
The van had been stolen from outside a home on Jarvis Avenue on Sept. 26.
Police also found a stolen license plate affixed to it, as well as a second stolen license plate in the vehicle.
Murray said this is common tactic among car thieves, so people should get in the habit of checking their cars.
"We've seen cases where someone hasn't noticed their license plate was stolen for weeks," he said.
Woman carjacked in Dufferin area
Earlier that evening, at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, a carjacking was reported to police, where a 33-year-old woman was forced out of her SUV on Robinson Street, near Flora Avenue.
The two suspects made off with her vehicle, which had the woman's purse and iPhone.
Police located the SUV — using Find My iPhone service and AIR 1 — on Swinford Way.
When officers converged on the stolen vehicle, the driver tried to flee, clipping the front of the police cruiser, jumping the median and ramming into another cruiser car before coming to a stop.
The two occupants were arrested and are facing robbery charges. An officer sustained minor injuries in the incident.
Vehicle taken from group home staff
Within the same hour, and only a few blocks away, police observed a stolen sport utility vehicle near Charles Street and Redwood Avenue in the St. John's area.
AIR 1 tracked the vehicle as it made its way to the 1200 block of College Avenue. Three suspects were arrested there, while a fourth was arrested on Mountain Avenue after a brief foot pursuit. The car had been stolen from a Century Street dealership and had stolen plates affixed.
In a fourth incident, a support worker discovered his vehicle was taken from the group home he worked at in the St. John's neighbourhood.
The car was located using AIR 1, and police arrested the two young men, aged 17 and 16, who were occupying the vehicle along Elgin Avenue.
One of the suspects was a resident at the group home, police say.
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