Elderly woman dragged from bed in Winnipeg home robbery

Four masked robbers armed with weapons forced their way into a Winnipeg home and dragged an elderly woman from her bed onto the floor before fleeing with a purse, police say.

Officers were called to a robbery in progress in the 300 block of Lake Ridge Road, south of Saskatchewan Avenue, at 11:53 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release on Thursday.

West District patrol officers spoke with four elderly residents, who said about four suspects wearing face coverings and carrying various weapons broke in through the back door. The suspects searched the home for about 10 minutes.

During the robbery, one suspect went into a bedroom and dragged an elderly woman from her bed onto the floor, causing minor injuries, police said. A purse holding personal property and identification was stolen.

Investigators believe the suspects walked to the home from the area of Lake Ridge Park.

Const. Stephen Spencer, a police spokesperson, told CBC News the investigation is in its early stages and police have not determined whether the home was chosen at random. He urged people in the area to come forward even with details that seemed minor at the time. “That information can come back to the forefront and come to light, and be quite helpful,” he said.

Anyone with information, or with dashcam, security or cellphone video from around the time of the robbery, is asked to call the Major Crimes Unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-TIPS or winnipegcrimestoppers.org.

Public safety has been a central issue in the city’s election campaign. Our guide to voting in Winnipeg on Oct. 28 explains how to cast a ballot.

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