In a shocking and brazen attack, a 50-year-old man was captured on film attempting to stab a pastor during service at a Winnipeg church on Sunday. Luckily, the 38-year-old priest managed to evade the attack, and the suspect wielding the knife was arrested by an off-duty RCPM officer who intervened to stop the assault and was serendipitously in attendance at the mass. Be warned, the video below may be disturbing to some readers.
The video, which was recorded by the Holy Ghost Parish and captured during its livestream, sees the suspect in a yellow jacket armed with a knife in his right hand walk past the altar to approach the pastor donned in a green vestment. Initially, a hymn is being sung at the same time by those in the congregation, though as the armed assailant closes in, one of the parishioners shouts out a warning to the priest.
Suddenly, the priest locks eyes on the incoming threat and realises what’s happening. Just in time, the pastor turns tail and runs away from the suspect to safety. He dodges the assailant’s grab and hops out of frame. Disturbingly, the aggressor then stabs the knife into the altar where it stays lodged in.
Meanwhile, a man in a black jacket, who appears to be armed with a gun, enters the frame and shouts, “Police, stop! You’re under arrest.” and begins closing in on the suspect. By the end of the video, the aggressor has been apprehended and doesn’t show any signs of physical resistance to his detainment.
Speaking to CTV News, Constable Stephen Spencer from Winnipeg Police Service declared, “I’ve been on 22 years, 23 years, and this is the first I’ve seen this type of incident in a church, so it’s quite different, for sure. And quite alarming.“
As reported by the news outlet, the suspect has since been identified as Pawel Olownia, who is facing a litany of charges, including assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. Olownia is currently detained and in custody, though police are still investigating what the specific motive was that led up to the incident.
