A 19-year-old man has been charged in connection to a violent robbery near Winnipeg's Maryland Bridge.

Police say a 42-year-old man was riding his bike to work around 8:15 a.m Friday when the suspect stepped into his path at Wellington Crescent and Academy Road, forcing him to stop.

The 19-year-old tried to take the bike but the man refused to let it go. The suspect then pulled out a hatchet and hit the man several times with it, police said.

The man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect took off with the bike, said police, who received numerous calls from witnesses who described the suspect.

Officers located and arrested him shortly afterwards, around 8:30 a.m.

He remains in custody.