Portage la Prairie RCMP are searching for a group of armed suspects following a string of break-ins in rural Manitoba.
On Sunday, between 3:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., RCMP responded to three reports of property and off-road vehicle thefts in the RM of North Norfolk.
One of these incidents was caught on camera and went viral on social media. In the video, you can see several suspects get out of a truck, with at least two of them armed with guns.
In each case, the suspects managed to get into shops on the properties where they stole everything from ATVs to power tools and in one case, a 2010, brown and cream-colored Dodge Ram pickup truck with Manitoba license plate KHP 257.
RCMP say they have gathered enough information to link the incidents to the same group of suspects.
RCMP provided the Sandy Bay Detachment of the Manitoba First Nations Police Service with a description of the suspect vehicle, and they were able to locate it on Highway 50 and Main Road in Sandy Bay First Nation. The lone occupant of the truck, a 17-year-old from Sandy Bay First Nation, was arrested.
RCMP are reminding residents to report anything suspicious in their area immediately, and are asking anyone with information to call the Portage la Prairie RCMP at 204-857-4445, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.
The investigation is ongoing.