Boys, aged 9-14, arrested after West End break-in, arson

Four boys between the ages of 12and 14 face charges after allegedly breaking into and stealing from a West End business before settingfire to a gazebo nearby half an hour later.

A nine-year-old boy was also arrested, but is too young to be charged under Canadian youth justice laws.

Winnipeg police were called to Ellice Avenue, between Erin and Goulding streets, at 1 a.m. on Thursday after reports of a break-in at a retail store by a group of youths.

The group smashed the front window to get in, damaged the inside of the store and took off with merchandise, according to a Thursday news release from Winnipeg police.

Police got a call about 30 minutes later about a group setting fire inside a gazebo at the back end of a property a block north on Sargent Avenue.

Five boys, agednine to 14, were found and arrested on Spence Street with help from the K9 unit, police said.

The nine-year-old boy was referred to the provincial Turnabout program, which supports children under 12 who come into contact with the law.

Police said theyreleased the four others to an adult with undertakingsto appear in court.

They face charges of commercial break and enter and arson.

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