16-year-old charged with random stabbings at Winnipeg mall, robbing pizza delivery drivers at knifepoint

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed four teenagers at a shopping mall following a failed robbery attempt on Friday evening, police say.

The Winnipeg teen was also charged in a series of other recent incidents, including two last month in which delivery drivers were stabbed and robbed of pizza and a third where a driver was uninjured but robbed at knifepoint, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a Sunday news release.

Police said the suspect and victims didn't know each other, and investigators believe all the incidents were random.

Officers responded to the most recent incident around 8:30 p.m. on Friday after getting a report that several youths had been stabbed at CF Polo Park.

Police said they found four teenage boys three 14-year-olds and one 13-year-old with stab wounds on their upper and lower bodies.

Two of the older boys needed tourniquets for their injuries before they were taken to hospital. The other two were treated and medically cleared at the scene, police said.

The suspect took off from the scene before officers arrived, the release said. With help from the tactical support team, police found the teen nearby on Queen Street just north of Portage Avenue around 9:30 p.m. He was arrested and his weapon was seized as evidence, police said.

Investigators learned the accused had allegedly tried to rob one of the stabbing victims and attacked the group after he was unsuccessful, police said.

Pizza driver robberies

They also determined the same teen was identified as a suspect in three violent robberies of pizza delivery drivers last month and two incidents where residential garage doors were spray painted.

The first of the alleged robberies happened on April 25, when the accused and two still unknown suspects robbed a 28-year-old pizza delivery driver at knifepoint on Ross Avenue West near Keewatin Street in northwest Winnipeg.

The victim in that case had a minor upper-body stabbing injury.

The next day, the accused and three unknown suspects robbed a 23-year-old pizza delivery driver at knifepoint on Dubuc Street near Youville Street in Winnipeg's Norwood area. In that case, the driver was not injured.

On April 29, the accused and two unknown suspects robbed another 23-year-old pizza driver on the same street, stabbing the victim in his upper body and damaging his vehicle. That driver was taken to hospital in unstable condition and needed surgery for his injury.

In all three cases, the suspects were gone by the time police arrived.

The same teen was also charged for allegedly spray painting two residential garages in March, both in the city's Norwood area. One was on Hill Street and the other was nearby on Youville Street, the release said.

The 16-year-old has been charged with four counts of robbery, five counts of assault with a weapon and one count of aggravated assault. He was also charged with possession of a weapon and mischief under $5,000 and was detained in custody, police said.

Anyone with more information that might help investigators in these incidents is asked to call the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.