Man charged with arson, assaulting police

September 18, 2025

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Police arrested a man accused of setting his car on fire and then assaulting officers after resisting arrest.


Thunder Bay Police Service Primary Response officers were dispatched to an address on Algoma Street North shortly after 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17, following reports of an arson incident.


Police had received information from witnesses that a male was attempting to set a car on fire. The fire was extinguished prior to police arrival.


Responding officers received further information that a male matching the suspect description was wandering into traffic and throwing objects at vehicles near the intersection of Algoma Street and Red River Road.


The suspect became combative with officers and attempted to resist arrest. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody. The suspect proceeded to assault officers by spitting at them.


Pierre-Alain GIROUX, 44, is charged with Arson and Assault Police x2.


The accused appeared in court on Thursday and has been remanded into custody with a future appearance date.

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The Thunder Bay Police Service has responded to several calls relating to bears in recent weeks in areas throughout the city. Here are some important things to remember: Do not feed bears. Keep food waste in secure containers. Keep a safe distance from bears. If you encounter a bear, slowly back away while keeping it in sight. If a bear is in a tree, do not surround it. Not every bear encounter is an emergency. Calls to police should be made in situations where a bear poses an immediate safety threat or is displaying aggressive or threatening behaviour. For non-emergency encounters, call the Ministry of Natural Resource's Bear Wise line at 1-866-514-2327. More information about Bear Safety can be found here: https://www.ontario.ca/.../prevent-bear-encounters-bear-wise
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September 12, 2025
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