The owner of a firebombed Winnipeg automotive shop is reconsidering a decision to go out of business.
Svenn Tergesen, whose business also includes used car sales, said his insurance company has labelled him as a risk because police have linked the crime to what they say is an ongoing turf war between outlaw motorcycle gangs.
As a result, his insurance company won't cover the damage. As well, some banks have recalled their loans to people who bought vehicles from him.
Just after 12 a.m. Sunday, someone broke the window of his St. Vital business, DC Automotive, and apparently tossed a firebomb inside the shop and automotive bays.
Later on Sunday, a residence on Royal Avenue in West Kildonan also was targeted. Police are linking the two events and attributing them to an ongoing battle between the Rock Machine and Hells Angels.
Tergesen is adamant he's never been a biker, but he admits to having done business with them and said he's even got some as friends.
He resolutely denies any involvement in the biker lifestyle and claims to be an innocent victim.
"I also have a whole group of nuns that I deal with. I have a cross-section of all kinds of people from little old ladies to nuns to bikers so, I don't care as long as they pay their bill and are polite," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, he told CBC News he intended to close up his business for good once he dealt with his three employees and returned the remaining cars to an auction house.
But when the news came out, Tergesen said a number of customers began calling him and urging him to stay open.
He is considering it but hasn't made up his mind.
He estimates the damage from the firebomb to be about $200,000 but without insurance he has to find that money himself.
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