Red River Ex: Teenagers threatened with weapons

Two teenagers have been charged after allegedly threatening a group with weapons at the Red River Exhibition over the weekend.

Police responded to a weapons alert at the fairgrounds at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

According to police, a group of men between the ages of 15 and 18 were waiting in line for a ride at the fair when they were allegedly attacked by two teenagers. While the two groups were arguing, the teenagers allegedly pulled out a machete and a pistol.

Constable Dani McKinnon of the Winnipeg Police Service said it was believed the two groups did not know each other.

“Something sparked a verbal argument and suddenly weapons were being waved,” she said.

The victims managed to escape and reported the incident to Red River Ex security, who arrested the suspects.

A 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were both charged with possession of a firearm and taken into custody. The charges could not be proven in court.

According to the police, it later turned out that the weapon was an air pistol.

The victims were not injured, police said.

McKinnon said they believed the weapons were thrown over a fence on the property.

“(The entrances to Red River Ex) have metal detectors, a walk-through scanner, they have wands… this is a very standard setup for a community checkpoint, so they know these weapons are not going to get through successfully, so they throw them away beforehand.”

McKinnon said that as a result of this incident, Red River Ex has increased its perimeter security measures to ensure the safety of the site.