Manitoba RCMP are searching for a Winnipeg man after a woman and her daughter were briefly abducted near Portage la Prairie Friday afternoon.
Portage la Prairie RCMP say they were first called to a hotel parking lot around 4:30pm on Friday. Reports say a man was acting erratically in a parking lot and may have been using drugs.
When officers arrived, they attempted to speak with the man. He put his van in reverse and rammed it into the police car. The suspect then took off, trying to hit the officers as he went. The van was later found to have been stolen from Winnipeg.
Mounties drove after the suspect’s vehicle but broke off the pursuit due to his dangerous driving, including in oncoming traffic. Police continued to search for the van.
At 5:20 p.m., police received a 911 call from a woman living just east of Portage la Prairie. The call was dropped, but a male and female voice were heard before it went silent. Officers went to the residence and learned that a 25-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter had been kidnapped and their vehicle had been stolen. The suspect’s van was found nearby.
Believing the suspect was headed for Winnipeg, the RCMP mobilized all available units and notified the Winnipeg Police Service. RCMP Air Services and WPS AIR1 were also called to assist.
Around 6:30 p.m., the abducted woman called police saying the suspect had fled her vehicle and that she and her daughter were safe in the Polo Park area. The victim and suspect were not known.
Amber’s alert was in the process of being sent before she called the police.
The suspect has been identified as Michael Steven Klimchuk, 62, of Winnipeg. He is 5’8”, 220 lbs, has long brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket and light-colored pants. It is believed to be in the Winnipeg area.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call police.
This is a developing story. CTV News Winnipeg will update it as more details become available.
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