Off-duty RCMP detains man who tried to stab pastor during service at Winnipeg church: police

A Winnipeg man has been charged after allegedly trying to stab a pastor during a service at a North End church.

Police say they were called Sunday at 6 p.m. to a church on Selkirk Avenue.

The Archdiocese of Winnipeg confirmed the incident happened at Holy Ghost Parish.

Officers arrived to learn a 50-year-old man armed with a knife approached the altar during a service and went at a 38-year-old pastor.

According to police, the suspect attempted to assault him, but the pastor managed to escape unharmed.

“As the suspect approached the pastor, luckily he was able to see this, whether he saw he had a knife or his sixth sense kicked in, and he was able to avoid getting assaulted by the suspect,” said Const. Stephen Spencer, public information officer with the Winnipeg Police Service.

“So the pastor actually ended up running off the stage.”

Officers say the suspect then stabbed the knife into the altar and sat down in a chair at the back of it.

An off-duty RCMP member, with help from other church attendees, detained the suspect until police arrived.

Const. Spencer said it was one of the best outcomes for a situation like this, as no one was hurt.

“I’ve been on 23 years, and this is the first I’ve seen of this type of incident in a church, so it’s quite different, for sure, and quite alarming,” Const. Spencer said.

A 50-year-old man was charged with several offences, including assault with a weapon.

Const. Spencer said they do not have any information about a motive at this point. After speaking with the pastor, it doesn’t appear this had anything to do with conflict with the church. The pastor has no memory of ever seeing the suspect before, Const. Spencer said, and he didn’t know him to be a member of the congregation.

“It did seem to be quite random in fact.”

The Archdiocese of Winnipeg said in a statement it is aware of the incident.

“The man has been taken into custody, and we await a judge’s ruling. We are grateful that no one was hurt.”

- With files from CTV’s Danton Unger