Man charged with assault after improvised torch aimed at Winnipeg Transit manager: police

A 23-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault after police say he pointed a flashlight made from a can of hairspray and a lighter at a Winnipeg Transit manager on Friday morning.

The assault happened just before 8 a.m. at Graham Avenue and Fort Street in downtown Winnipeg, Winnipeg police said in a news release Saturday.

The transportation manager told police he boarded the bus at the Graham and Fort stops to wake up a man who had been sleeping on the bus for several hours.

According to police, the man left the bus after being woken up by his supervisor, but after going outside, he used hairspray and a lighter to turn on a flashlight and then pointed it at the supervisor. According to police, the Transit employee knocked the man to the ground and disarmed him.

The man was detained by the police and charged with assault with a weapon.

The bus driver was not injured.