Winnipeg police arrested a man who is accused of randomly assaulting a child and a city bus passenger before attempting to steal a car on Saturday afternoon.
The suspect was riding a Winnipeg Transit bus at about 12:30 p.m. Feb. 21 when, unprovoked, he assaulted a 66-year-old man. The victim wasn’t hurt, and the bus driver kicked the suspect off the bus. The man then went into a retail store in the 3600 block of Portage Avenue, picked out a baseball bat and then hit a school-aged child in the upper body, knocking the child to the ground and continuing to hit the boy while he was on the ground. The child’s father fought off the suspect, who fled from the store.
The child was taken to hospital in stable condition and store staff contacted police.
The suspect then went to an auto collision repair centre in the 3500 block of Portage Avenue and stole a customer’s vehicle keys. Staff also contacted police. Officers arrived and quickly located a suspect.
Chase Julian Harrison, 27, is charged with aggravated assault, assault, and theft under $5,000. He was detained in custody.