4 teens accused of beating, robbing woman

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This article was published 04/03/2025 (198 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Four teens face charges after 30-year-old woman was beaten up and robbed outside The Town Centre in downtown Brandon on Saturday afternoon.

The Brandon Police Service says that video surveillance from 2:14 p.m. on Saturday showed the woman surrounded by three females, who began punching her. They knocked her to the ground and continued to punch and kick her while she was down.

A male, police add, joined in the assault as well.

When police arrived at 800 Rosser Ave., the suspects were gone and had taken the woman’s cellphone.

The woman was rushed to Brandon Regional Health Centre for “significant non life-threatening injuries,” according to a BPS media release on the City of Brandon’s website.

“Police continued to search for the suspects and were able to apprehend all four suspects over the next couple of hours,” the release stated. “Two 14-year-old females, a 17-year-old female and a 15-year-old male were all arrested and charged with robbery with violence.”

The three teen girls were taken into custody, and as of Monday afternoon, they had not yet been released.

The 15-year-old boy was released “on an undertaking,” which is a legally binding agreement between an accused person and a police officer. The accused is released in exchange for a promise to appear in court, according to the Criminal Code of Canada.

This is the second assault that has happened in broad daylight in downtown Brandon in under two months.

On Jan. 16, a 67-year-old man was hit in the face with a baseball bat on the corner of Rosser Avenue and Seventh Street just before 1 p.m.

The alleged attacker, 43-year-old Dexter Kyle Wambdiska, was charged with assault with a weapon and is scheduled to make an appearance in provincial court this morning.

More than a third of the calls that Brandon police officers respond to are in the downtown core, Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates told the Sun. And that is why, he added, he’s in the process of increasing police visibility and the Brandon Community Cadet presence.

“I’m absolutely concerned when anybody gets assaulted anywhere in the city, but broad daylight assaults in the downtown area — we have to have a city where people feel safe to be downtown, and right now, I think there’s a lot of concern with respect to a few incidents of late, and rightly so,” said Bates.

Bates also told the Sun that he will be present at a meeting scheduled for March 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at a city-owned building downtown. There will be representatives from several downtown businesses, social service agencies, community organizations and the City of Brandon.

The meeting has been planned for months, Bates added, with the goal of coming up with a downtown public safety strategy.

“I was really insistent that we find a way to have this consultation process prior to summer, so that we have shared objectives and a commitment to doing the best we can to make sure that our downtown is as safe as it possibly can be,” he said.

Once the strategy has been created, Bates said BPS will track the contributions and commitments made by the representatives.

“It’s overwhelming, really, in terms of the volume of work that there is in the downtown area, and there are dozens of agencies that are working hard on their own domain, so we want to make sure they’re all aligned, and that we’re maximizing our efforts, working together collectively to improve the situation there.”

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said he is looking forward to the meeting and a strategy on how to improve safety downtown. When he first heard about Saturday afternoon’s assault he was “worried and concerned,” yet thankful that “police officers tracked the suspects down.”

“It’s good to know that they were immediately apprehended, but it’s very, very frustrating,” Fawcett said. “Any kind of action like this anywhere in the city is a concern. Nobody wants this anywhere.”

As an advocate for downtown Brandon, Brandon Downtown BIZ executive director Emmy Sanderson said she was saddened to hear about the assault.

“Anytime something like this happens, it’s awful. But we can’t give up. We just have to keep fighting for the good and working for the better and hope that these isolated incidents get fewer and farther between,” Sanderson said.

For public safety, people are being reminded to be aware of their surroundings, keep valuables out of sight, and avoid distractions like using a cell phone while walking, said Janet Reichert, recruitment and communications specialist for BPS.

“Park in well-lit areas and lock your car,” Reichert said, adding, “it is ideal to stay in busy, populated spaces when possible. And as always, we ask folks to report any suspicious activity to Brandon Police Service at 204-729-2345.”

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