Police open fire at stolen vehicle: Truck crashes into house causing an explosion in Winnipeg

Winnipeg police opened fire at a stolen vehicle, that attempted to flee, but subsequently crashed into a residential building, and caused a massive fire.

Just before 6 pm on Friday police officers observed a car that had been reported stolen driving northbound in the 300 block of Home street. Officers blocked off the street with their cruiser in an attempt to stop the stolen vehicle, but as it approached the officers, it stopped and reversed into a civilian car directly behind them.

The driver then drove towards the police car, while the officers were standing outside of it. This resulted in officers discharging their firearms at the stolen vehicle.

The stolen vehicle proceeded to mount the east boulevard and fled northbound towards St. Matthews Ave., where it struck the cruiser vehicle of a second responding unit, losing control and colliding with a residence in the 500 block of Home Street. The fire started and spread to a large fuel tank located in the bed of the pick-up truck, causing an explosion and igniting both the house and the truck.

The 48-year-old male driver of the stolen vehicle and a 29-year-old female passenger fled on foot but were arrested nearby by attending officers and were detained. No injuries were reported, but the Independent Investigation Unit has invoked their mandate to look into the incident.