Winnipeg police have made an arrest after a man armed with a machete robbed two downtown stores Wednesday afternoon.

Police were first called to a store near Bell MTS Place for a report of a man armed with a machete around 1:10 p.m.

By the time officers arrived, the man had fled and went running through the area with the weapon, police said, prompting several more reports.

Officers found a man with a machete on Hargrave Street, south of Portage Avenue, about 20 minutes later. They used a Taser to help take him into custody after he refused to drop the machete, police said.

Police allege the same person had threatened security at City Place around noon, after they spotted him with a machete and asked him to hand it over.

After he fled from City Place security, the man made his way to the Bay with the weapon, where he covered his face with a mask and stole several items, police said.

He then went to Portage Place and stole two bags, which security guards recovered, but they backed off when he produced the machete, police said.

A 24-year-old man faces several charges, including two counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of robbery.

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