A 49-year-old man is in police custody and facing a string of charges after police say he held two teen girls against their will and seriously assaulted them.

The Winnipeg Police Service says their investigation began on Thursday, June 13, around 5:20 p.m. when a woman called police to say an unknown man had tried to enter her house in the St. John's neighbourhood. The woman told police she and her two children were in their yard when the man began watching them from across the street. She took the children inside and locked the doors, and the man then attempted to break in to the home. Police say he was scared off by another person inside the home.

Approximately 10 minutes later the same male attended to an apartment building nearby. Police say he unlawfully entered a suite while armed with a syringe and confronted two teenage females. They were forced into a bedroom where he threatened to kill them and physically and sexually assaulted them.

Police say that the male then passed out and the victims called 911 for help. Police arrived and the male who was still on scene was taken into custody.

The two victims were taken to the hospital for medical attention. The Sex Crimes Unit took over the investigation and the accused was linked to both incidents.

The man, who is from Winnipeg, is facing a total of 10 charges, including two counts of sexual assault, two counts of assault, and two counts of uttering threats.

The Winnipeg Police Service says it is committed to providing support to survivors of sexual assault. Resources include WPS Victim Services at 204-986-6350 and the Klinic Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 204-786-8631.