On Wednesday, a man was downtown with a machete in broad daylight.
The Winnipeg Police Service received a report around 1:15 p.m. about a man inside a store in the 300 block of Portage Avenue. Police received another call from an employee at a different nearby store about the man.
Security officers followed the man, and they directed police to his location. Before police arrived, the suspect left the mall, running through downtown, brandishing the machete – prompting more calls from the public.
Officers confronted the suspect in the 200 block of Hargrave Street, but he refused to drop the machete. The officers were forced to use a stun gun, and the man was taken safely into custody.
Officers also learned security at another business in the 200 block of Donald Street approached the suspect earlier in the day. The suspect was asked to drop his machete but refused. He then threatened the security staff and fled.
The suspect, wearing a mask and armed with the machete, also went to a department store in the 400 block of Portage Avenue where he stole a bag and various clothing items. He then left.
The suspect went to another store in the 300 block of Portage Avenue, stealing two bags. The suspect was confronted by security, who recovered the stolen bags. However, security stepped back when the suspect produced a machete.
Leslie Boyd Cook, 24, has been charged with possessing a weapon, two charges of failing to comply with condition of recognizance, two charges of robbery, and two charges of assault with a weapon,
Cook is in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.
–Staff
