Three suspects are facing a slew of charges after an alleged kidnapping and vehicle pursuit ending in Flin Flon June 16.
Flin Flon RCMP received a report that a 20-year-old man from the RM of Gimli had been kidnapped by two men at a fishing camp on Kisseynew Lake. The camp was located about eight kilometres from the junction of the Sherridon road and the Pukatawagan winter road, about 50 kilometres north of Highway 10.
Police were notified by a 63-year-old man from Sherridon. The man said his son, a 36-year-old man, was with a 17-year-old and a 20-year-old man at the camp June 15 when a vehicle with three people inside drove up. Two occupants, now considered suspects, got out of the vehicle and asked the group if they had any firearms, then assaulted the 36-year-old with a knife and stole one of the group's rifles. Then two occupants then grabbed the 20-year-old male, threw him into his own vehicle and told the man to drive them to Winnipeg. The occupants also stole the two remaining men's cell phones, stranding them at the remote camp while the two men and the captive headed south.
The next day, the 63-year-old arrived at the camp, found out what had happened and went to Flin Flon to contact RCMP. Officers issued notices to neighbouring detachments, including Cranberry Portage RCMP.
Officers from detachments in Flin Flon, Creighton and Cranberry Portage conducted car patrols on Highway 10 June 16 and found the suspects' vehicle that evening. When police tried to pull over the vehicle, the suspects did not stop.
Officers pursued the suspect vehicle, deploying spike belts twice to puncture the vehicles' tires. The vehicle hit both spike belts, but continued driving on to Flin Flon, heading into a residential area. The vehicle eventually came to a stop in a neighbourhood in east Flin Flon, sliding off the road on Balsam Avenue near Ecole McIsaac School. Once the vehicle stopped, occupants attempted to flee but were arrested without incident.
Police searched the vehicle and found a loaded firearm and a large filleting knife inside. Cellphone video of the arrest shows at least four RCMP vehicles and multiple officers responded to the incident.
Three people - 32-year-old Joseph Gunville from Denare Beach, 23-year-old Jeremy Dumas of Flin Flon and 28-year-old Rozalynn Custer from Denare Beach - have been arrested in relation to the incident. Gunville faces 19 separate charges, including kidnapping with a firearm, robbery with a weapon, vehicle theft, assault, uttering threats, flight from police and others. Dumas is facing 17 charges, including kidnapping with a firearm, robbery with a weapon, vehicle theft and others. Custer is facing charges of kidnapping with a firearm, theft of a vehicle, possession of a weapon with dangerous purpose and unsafe storage of a firearm.
Cranberry Portage RCMP are continuing to investigate the incidents.
"This was an intense and dynamic situation where our police officers risked their own safety by engaging in a pursuit with armed individuals." said Superintendent Kevin Lewis, district commander for Manitoba RCMP North District, in a news release issued June 19.
"The professionalism and teamwork of our detachment members resulted in the victim being brought to safety and the suspects being taken into custody without anyone being harmed. I am proud of the actions of our members in bringing this event to a successful conclusion."
