The man accused of faking a medical distress at the side of the road before kidnapping a mother and her young daughter west of Winnipeg has been arrested, police say.
Portage la Prairie RCMP say the suspect, Michael Stephen Klimchuk, was arrested by Winnipeg police early Sunday morning.
Klimchuk is in the custody of the Portage la Prairie RCMP.
Police say the 62-year-old, who was known to RCMP, first led police on a dangerous pursuit in Portage la Prairie Friday late afternoon.
The pursuit was stopped because Klimchuk was allegedly driving recklessly into oncoming traffic. Police allege he was driving a stolen van.
The suspect is then believed to have faked a medical distress at the side of the road to trick a vehicle into stopping.
Portage la Prairie RCMP say the kidnapping victim stopped and the suspect got into her vehicle. They say it happened near Highway 1.
A 9-1-1 call came in from the victim’s phone around 5:20 p.m., from which a man and a woman’s voice could be heard. The call then went silent.
Police say a second call came in from the woman’s husband from their home east of Portage la Prairie. RCMP determined the victim managed to call her husband, who then reached out to police.
Police arrived at the victim’s home, and the van from the earlier pursuit was seen nearby. Officers linked both incidents as a result.
Information led police to determine the suspect was travelling to Winnipeg.
At 6:30 p.m., police say the woman called from the Polo Park area of Winnipeg and told police the suspect had left the vehicle.
The victim and her daughter were not physically hurt.
