FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: WOMAN AND CHILD KIDNAPPED , MICHAEL KIMCHUK BELIEVED TO BE IN WINNIPEG!

Man wanted in connection with 'random' kidnapping of woman, toddler believed to be in Winnipeg: RCMP Child, woman found safe, but Michael Klimchuk remains at large, RCMP say Manitoba RCMP are searching for a man they say was involved in what they're calling the "random" kidnapping of a toddler and 25-year-old woman on Friday, after she stopped to help a man on the side of road who appeared to be in distress.

Both the woman and toddler are now safe, but police are looking for Michael Klimchuk, 62, the suspect in the kidnapping.

At a Saturday afternoon news conference, RCMP described a string of events that led to the kidnapping.

Around 4:30 p.m. Friday, RCMP responded to a report of a man using drugs and behaving erratically at a hotel parking lot in Portage la Prairie, about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

The man spoke briefly with officers, before he put his vehicle into reverse and rammed a police vehicle.

He then drove the vehicle forward, apparently trying to hit the officers, before reversing again into the police vehicle and finally driving off, RCMP said.

They began a chase after the vehicle — a van they found had been stolen in Winnipeg — but stopped after the driver used dangerous tactics, such as driving into oncoming traffic, police said.

At some point, the man abandoned the vehicle, police say.

That's when the 25-year-old woman stopped on the side of the road near Portage la Prairie to help the man, who appeared to be in medical distress.

He was, in fact, pretending to be in medical distress. He got into her vehicle and demanded she drive him to Winnipeg.

The woman and the kidnapper did not know each other, RCMP said.