Woman ‘nearly killed' in Osborne Village robbery; 17-year-old girl arrested, charged
A woman in her 20s is recovering in hospital after she was brutally stabbed and 'nearly killed' in a random robbery outside her Osborne Village apartment while returning home from work earlier this week.
One suspect has been arrested, while detectives search for others.
The victim, who was walking to her home on Roslyn Road off Osborne Street shortly before midnight Sunday, was accosted from behind by a group of suspects and pushed to the ground.
The attackers stabbed the victim and stole her cellphone, but she managed to disarm them of their knife, which she held onto as the muggers continued to beat her, said Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon.
'At that point, you're just in shock… under these circumstances you're working under adrenaline — this was a life-or-death situation,' said McKinnon. 'Her injuries are very severe… a very brave individual.'
A group of nearby Roslyn Road residents, who had stepped outside to smoke, saw the woman being attacked and yelled for the muggers to stop.
'They shouted and screamed and alerted the suspects,' said McKinnon.
The bystanders immediately called for police, shortly after midnight, and the attackers fled as soon as they heard emergency sirens nearing.
'Thank God (the attack) was disturbed and she was able to somehow defend herself,' said McKinnon. 'It's awful… she's just so traumatized.'
Paramedics rushed the victim to hospital in critical condition, where doctors have upgraded her condition to stable.
The victim had taken the bus home to the neighbourhood from her food-service job elsewhere in the city, as she had commonly done in the past.
'Somebody who's out there working hard, coming home in the later hours of the night,' said McKinnon. 'Just completely taken by surprise, randomly, and to be nearly killed — it's unfathomable.'
McKinnon said she doesn't believe police have managed to recover the victim's cellphone.
Major crimes detectives have arrested a 17-year-old girl, but believe more than one person took part in the robbery.
The suspect has been charged with robbery, aggravated assault and seven counts of breaching a release order. She's still in custody.
McKinnon described the arrested teenage suspect, who is known to police, as a 'high-risk individual.'
Detectives asked anyone with information or video related to the attack to contact them at 204-986-6219, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik PinderaReporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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