WINNIPEG — A man involved in an armed standoff with police in south Winnipeg on Thursday began his crime spree much earlier in the day.
Police say the man barricaded himself inside Canad Inns Bottle Stop on Plaza Drive near Pembina Highway at around 3:40 p.m. and armed himself with two knives.
Employees inside the store were originally locked in, but were able to safely escape.
Police say while inside the beer vendor, the man began to damage property and started consuming beer.
The same suspect is said to be responsible for a gas station robbery in the 1300 block of McPhillips Street at around 7:30 a.m., followed by robbing a restaurant after dining in the 3300 block of Portage Avenue.
While responding to the restaurant incident, police spotted the suspect driving a station wagon in the area of Portage Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard at around 3 p.m. A short pursuit was called off once the suspect started driving erratically.
The man then carjacked a 61-year-old driver of his truck in the 100 block of Marion Street roughly 10 minutes later.
Back at the armed standoff, police eventually used a non-lethal bean bag gun to take the suspect into custody at around 7:20 p.m. He tried to run away, but was tackled by multiple officers. He was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure and medically cleared to be released Friday morning.
Alexander Branislav Jovanovich of Winnipeg, 33, faces numerous charges, including four counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
He remains in custody.
