Saskatoon man on life support after brawl at Manitoba bowling alley

The family of a 25-year-old Saskatoon man rushed to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg to be by the side of the assault victim, Winkler, Man., police Chief Ken Hiebert said Monday.

The man remains on life support after being struck several times with a pool cue by a 29-year-old man, who is also from Saskatoon, at the Valley Bowling Lanes in Winkler, late Saturday night, Winkler police said.

Officers were called to the bowling alley, which includes pool tables, one minute before midnight Saturday. An argument over an unpaid debt that had erupted between the two men turned violent. The two men were part of the same crew working in the area, Hiebert said.

“They were well-known to each other,” he said from Winkler.

The victim was struck several times with a pool cue and was reported to be unconscious when police arrived. The first officer who had arrived on scene immediately began CPR on the victim while other officers began looking for the suspect. The victim was rushed to the hospital early Sunday, Hiebert said.

A witness called 911 and followed the fleeing suspect, leading police to a 7-Eleven, where an arrest was made within minutes of the attack.

Justin Leslie Bird, 29, is being held in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre and was scheduled to appear in Portage la Prairie provincial court Monday on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance, Winkler police said.

“Our hearts go out to the family (of the victim),” Winkler police said in a release.

“We do investigate a lot of assaults out here, but rarely one this violent,” Hiebert said.