Winnipeg police are reviewing security after a suspect escaped from a police station on the weekend.
On Saturday, a suspect in a violent robbery, in which a cab driver was stabbed, was arrested and brought to the District Six police station, but later escaped.
Shawn Bruyere, 21, was in a holding room in the station when he managed to get out. Bruyere was not handcuffed at the time.
Police are looking at whether a lock in a holding cell malfunctioned or if officers might not have properly secured it.
"This door should have been secured and it wasn't. We have to look into why that is and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure this doesn't happen again," said Const. Jason Michalyshen, spokesperson for Winnipeg police.
Bruyere was on the run for about four hours on Saturday.
Officers later received a tip and tracked him down. Shane Falleaf saw police take Bruyere into custody and said officers had their guns drawn.
Bruyere and four other suspects had been arrested earlier in connection with two break-ins at a beer vendor in the 2900 block of Pembina Highway on Saturday.
Police said the suspects called a taxi at a nearby gas station. When the cab arrived, the suspects demanded money and Bruyere reached into the taxi and stabbed the driver, said police.
Officers said that prisoners escaping from custody are extremely rare. In 2003, Randall Gagnon was being held at 55 Princess Street but broke free by climbing on a table and then pushing out the ceiling tiles to get into another room.
The cab driver stabbed on Saturday drove himself to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Bruyere faces a number of charges, including escaping from lawful custody and robbery with a weapon.
Following the escape on the weekend, police said they'll work to fix the problem.
"We can assure the public this is not a common thing. We are aware of it and we are going to deal with it," said Michalyshen.
- with a report from CTV's Stacey Ashley
