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Two boys, aged 17 and 15, have been charged after a group of teen boys standing in line to get on a ride at the Red River Exhibition were threatened with a machete and a pistol on Saturday evening.
The victims reported to onsite security and the suspects were apprehended and police were contacted.
“Something started a little bit of a verbal dispute and the next thing you know weapons are being brandished,” said Winnipeg Police spokesperson Const. Dani McKinnon at a press briefing on Monday.
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Both teens have been charged with possession of a weapon and failing to comply with release orders or undertakings, and detained in custody.
Nobody was injured during the incident and the gun was determined to be an air pistol.
Winnipeg Police has communicated with executive members of the Red River Exhibition and has learned that although there are robust security measures at the park’s entrance, it is believed these weapons were previously tossed over the outer fencing for later retrieval. As a result of these actions, the Red River Ex has bolstered their perimeter security to ensure the safety of all attending guests, police said.
Two years ago, a 16-year-old was rushed to hospital after being shot on the Red River Ex grounds. According to Red River Ex CEO Garth Rogerson, the Ex has spent “significant time and money focusing on security measures,” including the installation of gates with multiple metal detectors and training their staff in gang identification and watching for suspicious behaviour. In addition to increasing their fence patrols, they are considering cutting down some of their perimeter hedge rows, Rogerson said.
“Certainly since the shooting and the increase in violent crime in Winnipeg, we realize that we have a different job to do now, a much more difficult job and we’ve got to step to the plate and get it done so that the public is safe and we’re doing that,” said Rogerson.
“Today we’re spending a lot more time on (security) and I certainly am than we did five years ago because it’s more difficult now and some of these perpetrators are getting more sophisticated and smarter in how they operate. We have to stay a step ahead of that and we’re doing that.”
glen.dawkins@kleinmedia.ca
X: @SunGlenDawkins
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