‘I thought the roof caved in’: Car fleeing Winnipeg police crashes into St. Boniface home
Posted January 21, 2026 11:13 am.
Last Updated January 21, 2026 6:43 pm.
Robert Fournier says he’s still in shock.
Standing next to his damaged door, the Winnipeg homeowner recounted the events of early Tuesday morning that saw a vehicle crash into the side of his house on Dollard Boulevard.
“First I thought the roof caved in,” Fournier told CityNews. “We were both sleeping, me and my son, and it was so loud it was ridiculous.
“You gotta hear it to imagine it is what I’m saying. It’s something you don’t want to experience.”
The Winnipeg Police Service says the 41-year-old man who was behind the wheel of the vehicle is in police custody and facing a long list of charges.
It all happened shortly before 2 a.m. Police say officers were patrolling in North St. Boniface when they spotted a vehicle without a front licence plate. The vehicle pulled into the parking lot of a business on Provencher Boulevard, and a female passenger got out.
“Officers drove up to the vehicle and exited their cruiser in the attempt to initiate a traffic stop when the male driver drove away in an aggressive manner, nearly hitting the two members,” the WPS alleges.
Authorities say the driver sped away, going west on Provencher Boulevard.
Police were then called by Fournier after the suspect vehicle crashed into their home, tearing down the fence and causing significant damage.
Nobody in the home was injured.
“I was still with 911 and already the cops were there,” the Winnipeg man said.
Just after 3 a.m., the man was arrested at St. Boniface Hospital, where police say he was being treated for injuries “consistent with being in a vehicle collision.”
He was charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, dangerous operation of a conveyance, mischief, and more. He was detained in custody.
The scene at Fournier’s home Wednesday was one of repair, as workers came and went from the badly damaged house, which he has lived in since 2002.
“There was no shake in my room, but in (my son’s) room, stuff had already tipped over,” Fournier recounted. “Shelving had tipped over. So he wakes up and he’s stepping on books and CDs, whatever was on that shelf.
“You’re in shock, right. That’s just the way it is. You’re in shock.”
He estimates the car must have been travelling quickly to clear a snowbank, travel through his fence and then hit his home, saying things could have been more serious.
“Summertime, my son’s room, for sure.”
Fournier says this isn’t the first time something like this has happened to him. More than a decade ago, a car ran into and knocked over a light post outside his home.
