Man charged after allegedly setting apartment on fire following an assault
Posted July 27, 2026 4:25 pm.
Winnipeg police say a 24-year-old man has been charged in connection with an alleged assault and arson on Friday night.
WPS says around 10:15 p.m. on July 24, on-site security at an apartment building along Sherbrook Street was approached by a woman who claimed that she had been assaulted by an adult family member inside a suite and asked for help getting her belongings from the suite.
When the security guard attended the suite, he was confronted by a man who was allegedly armed with a knife, who then held the knife up to the security guard’s throat and threatened to kill him. The guard was able to flee and called for police.
WPS attended the scene and were able to determine that the situation had turned into an armed and barricaded matter.
Following this, the man then allegedly started a fire inside the suite, filling the building with smoke, forcing around two dozen tenants (including children) to evacuate.
A tactical team was able to gain access to the suite, and the man eventually dropped his weapon and was taken through the fire to the hallway, where officers tried to take him into custody, but he reportedly became combative, at which point officers used force to place him in handcuffs.
The man was taken to a hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. One officer was also treated at the scene by paramedics for smoke inhalation, but did not go to a hospital.
Since then, 24-year-old Timothy Bret McKay has been charged with arson with disregard to human life, assault with a weapon, assault, and resisting a peace officer.
