‘It was just pretty crazy’: Man with machete tries attacking vehicle with people inside

A Winnipeg driver is still shocked after a scary incident unfolded Monday night that ended with someone carrying a machete flying over the hood of his car.

A Winnipeg driver is still shocked but unharmed after a scary incident unfolded Monday night that ended with someone who was carrying a machete flying over the hood of his car.

The driver—who has asked to not be identified for safety reasons—was driving home with coworkers Monday on King Edward Street.

That’s when he saw someone jump out from the left side of the street and cross the road.

“I thought it was just a random pedestrian that was just jaywalking,” the driver said. “I slowed down, and then actually I came to a full stop because he essentially stopped in the middle of the road and turned toward the car.”

Suddenly, the man in the road started walking toward the vehicle and yelling. That’s when the driver realized this man had a machete in his hand.

“I was like, ‘OK, I got to start reversing out of here before he swipes at my car.’ And so I do just that. I start reversing out, and then he gets off the road, he starts walking on the side.”

Unfortunately, the interaction didn’t end there.

“I started driving forward again, and then, next thing you know, he starts running across. I don’t think it would have been a smart idea to stop again. And so I swerved to the left to do my best to avoid him and speed up, and then he just jumps right in front of the car…in the video, you can kind of see it, like his foot slips on the hood, and then he rolls, hits the windshield, and rolls off the top. It was just pretty crazy.”

He said it felt like something out of a scary movie but noted he and his passengers were left unharmed, just shocked and scared by what just happened.

After the incident, he drove up the street and called police. Officers arrived a short time later and arrested the man.

Police confirmed the man, 24, was carrying a knife when they found him.

He was charged with possessing a weapon and mischief under $5,000. He was later released on an undertaking.

While it was a scary situation for all who were involved, the driver said it is almost scarier to think about what could have happened if he hadn’t driven by at that time.

“If he thinks he could take on a car. If, I guess, we didn’t show up, or if he saw a pedestrian right before us, who knows what he could have done, right?

“It’s close to my girlfriend’s house, and it’s close to where my co-workers live; it was close to a community centre; it’s close to schools, like 200 metres out, it was a school zone. Who knows what the guy would have done?”

Other than everyone in the car being shaken up afterward, the driver said everyone is OK, and there is only minor damage to his vehicle.

- With files from CTV’s Jon Hendricks