A man suffered serious injuries early Sunday morning after he was stabbed outside a Winnipeg restaurant when an argument turned violent.
City police responded to Smitty’s at 1017 St. James St. shortly after midnight after receiving reports a fight had broken out.
“This was a serious injury, plain and simple,” said Winnipeg Police Service Const. Jason Michalyshen.
TYLER SEARLE / FREE PRESS A man suffered serious injuries after he was stabbed in the parking lot of a Smitty’s restaurant at 1017 St. James St. just after midnight on April 14, 2024.
He said officers provided emergency medical care to the man on scene after he suffered a stab wound to his lower body. He was taken to hospital in critical condition, but has since been upgraded to stable, police said, adding a second man suffered minor injuries.
Winnipeg police’s major crime unit has assumed the investigation, and officers are currently conducting interviews.
Investigators believe an argument between two groups of people began inside the restaurant before spilling out into the parking lot, Michalyshen said.
He could not confirm how large the brawl was, but said the victims and others involved were in their 20s and 30s.
“What set things off is still something we are sorting out,” Michalyshen said. “Clearly, things can start pretty innocently and then things escalate, and that’s exactly what happened here.”
The police spokesperson confirmed police are speaking to “a number of people” but have not laid any charges.
Around 10 a.m. Sunday, multiple police units remained outside the restaurant, where a large section of the parking lot was cordoned off by police tape.
TYLER SEARLE / FREE PRESS A puddle of what appeared to be blood had soaked into the pavement just steps away from the restaurant’s main entrance.
A puddle of what appeared to be blood had soaked into the pavement just steps away from the building’s main entrance, while more could be seen in the centre of the parking lot.
More than a dozen vehicles remained parked in the lot.
Anyone with information or video is asked to call police at 204-986-6219, Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS), or go online at winnipegcrimestoppers.org.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’ city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.