Some Young People Snagged a Bag in Winnipeg, Then It Blew Up

Four people in Winnipeg are recovering after a homemade bomb exploded in a truck.

The people in the vehicle were all sent to hospital as a result of the explosion—two of who are in critical condition. In a presser, Cst. Rob Carver told media that police believe the four people injured by the bomb were not "the intended targets. They were innocent parties."

"It's incredibly alarming that we have an IED or bomb that out and some other people got ahold of and it blew up," said Carver. "There are a couple people seriously injured, it's just luck they weren't more seriously injured."

The situation that led to the explosion started in a Seven Eleven parking lot late Saturday evening. Someone not connected to the four people brought the IED in a backpack to the convenience store and left it outside upon entering the store. One of the four, a 20-year-old woman, took the backpack and put it in the truck. The woman's boyfriend later said she took the backpack to turn into police.

Once in the truck one of the four started to rummage through the bag when it erupted into flames. Nick Chastellaine, the woman's boyfriend, who has spoken to the victims told the CBC that the situation was intense.

"The whole truck, inside the cab, just ignited into flames within like seconds," Chastellaine said. "All of them are saying it was a flash before their eyes, because they all thought they were going to die."

The truck then hit a fire hydrant afterwards and emergency services were called. Citing an ongoing investigation, police have been mum on the details. Carver told media that police don't believe the person who brought the bag to the convenience store knew what was in it and was also an "accidental victim"—they, however, would not explain how they know that. Police also said they don't know if the bomb was created for an intended victim but say that it was created to do damage.

"It's obvious that it was designed for maximum effect, to create what it did in that vehicle. Was it designed to do that with an intended victim? I simply don't have that information at this point," Carver said at the presser. "It's reasonable to assume that when someone has gone to all the trouble to make an explosive device of this power, that there's some backstory."

Carver also stated that police know the whole situation is "confusing" and they haven't arrested anyone in connection to this but don't believe there is any danger to the public.

"We do not believe that someone has randomly put an explosive device out in the public with the intention that innocent victims could be injured," said Carver.

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