Suspect throws bike at officers, found with sawed-off shotgun: police

A Winnipeg man faces charges of assaulting a peace officer and numerous firearms-related charges after, according to police, he threw his bicycle at officers as they tried to arrest him.

On Friday around 6:45 p.m., patrol officers tried to stop a man known to have outstanding arrest warrants as he was riding a bike andpushing another one in the area of Mountain Avenue. and Aikins Street.

The man fled and at one point, threw his bicycle at the officers, Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release.

In his backpackpolice said they also found a sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, bolt cutters and an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine, worth about $400.

Along with charges of assaulting a police officer and firearms chargesthe 29-year-old man faces charges of possessing methamphetamine, resisting a peace officer, possessing break-in instruments, and possessing property obtained by crime.

Police say the man has a long criminal record going back several years, with past charges involving drugs, robbery and weapons.

This latest case comes as Winnipeg police are warning the public that drugs such as methamphetamine are fuelling crime in the city. On Monday, WPS Chief Danny Smythsaid that police are facing increasingly violent situations involving drugs.