Police Taser man after 'meth-fuelled' attempted carjacking

A 22-year-old manhigh on meth was Tasered by policeThursday night after anattempted carjacking in Winnipeg's Exchange District.

Officers were called around 8:30 p.m. to the intersection of Albert Streetand McDermot Avenue after a man in his 20ssaid someone tried to steal his car.

The manhad remotely started it and was walking to the vehicle with a friend when another man confrontedthem and demanded the keys, police said. The man also suggested he had a weapon.

He was given the keys but couldn'tunlock the vehicle, so he walked away and startedlooking into other cars in the area instead, police said.

When police arrived, the man who attempted the carjacking had left. However, while officers werespeaking to the victim, a man appeared atthe intersection who was identified as the carjacker, police said.

The officers tried to arrest him and had to use the Taserto subdue him.

"This entire incident was fuelled by methamphetamine use. He was incredibly hard to control," said police spokesman Const. Rob Carver.

"Not only did we have to use a Taser but ultimately, four officers were involved in subduing him and making sure that no one was injured."

The man, who told police afterwards that he had ingested the drug, was checked over by paramedics and medically cleared, Carver said.

"It's just another example of what we were discussing yesterday [at a news conference] that methamphetamine is fuelling violent confrontations in the city."

The22-year-old ischarged robbery (carjacking), resisting a peace officer and identity fraud. Police said he had identification for someone else and initially tried to pass himself off as that person.