At least two employees of CTV Winnipeg have been assaulted within the last month while leaving work.
We’ve learned that the first incident occurred on October 26 at around 5 p.m. when an employee was struck in the lower body by an unknown male while exiting the CTV building at 345 Graham Avenue. The assault allegedly took place in a stairwell near MTS Centre. Thankfully, the victim — who we won’t identify — did not require medical attention. The suspect in the attack fled.
The second incident occurred just a few days later on October 29 at around 5:15 p.m. The employee was both physically and sexually assaulted while exiting a building on Hargrave Street. The victim was not injured as a result of the attack.
These two assaults took place just weeks after a third incident when an employee was leaving work and “felt threatened” when confronted with a “scary situation.” A source claims that an actual assault did not take place, but the timing of the suspicious behaviour doesn’t seem like a coincidence.
The suspect in both assaults is believed to be the same person and according to Winnipeg police, is described as a “male, Aboriginal in appearance, 14-16 years of age, 5’03”-5’06” tall, weighing approximately 130-140 pounds with a thin build and had short dark cropped hair.”
CTV published a story on their website November 2 mentioning both assaults, but did not include the information about their staff being involved.
We spoke to one CTV employee on the condition of anonymity who said that sometimes after working late shifts, they call down and ask MTS Centre security to escort them to their vehicles.
As for security around the CTV building, we’re told it’s generally a safe environment with well-lit areas and security cameras.
So, what’s being done to ensure the safety of staff at the television station? We asked that question to General Manager Bill Hanson, who did not return our request for comment.
With a recent letter published in the Free Press from Stefano Grande of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ claiming that downtown is a safe place, we would expect to hear CTV’s response to how they are handling the safety of their valued employees.
UPDATE: Nov 10, 2009 — Police have charged Curtis Leroy George, 18, in connection with these assaults.
