Officer struck with baton during Halloween disturbance

Mission RCMP were kept busy on Halloween, responding to 56 calls for service during the night-time hours. Some of the most significant issues of the evening occurred in the area of Cedar Street and Cherry Avenue, where an estimated 300 youth had gathered around Griner Park and Albert McMahon Elementary School. Police received reports of various offences, including youth assaulting another youth, rocks being thrown at a car, fireworks being shot at cars, and fireworks being set off in the direction of buildings.

Officers did their best to manage the situation, however despite additional resources having been scheduled in anticipation of the higher call volume, the sheer number of persons acting recklessly was overwhelming.

When an officer took one youth into his vehicle to wait for a parent to arrive, another group of youth approached the police car, tried to open the doors, and began kicking and spitting on the police car. While another officer was dealing with a different group of youth, one of the youth struck the officer in the face and hand with a baton. Fortunately, that officer was not seriously injured, and the investigation into the assault is ongoing.

Other calls to 911 included a witness seeing approximately 100 youth surrounding police – worried that officers were in trouble – while another called after seeing youth lighting off fireworks right next to police vehicles. The Mission Fire and Rescue Service also assisted by blocking off streets while police worked to disperse the crowd. Some arrests were made, and multiple tickets were issued for a variety of infractions.

Mission RCMP thank the public for their calls and concerns during the evening, and also want to thank the youth and adults throughout our communities who contributed to a safe and fun Halloween night in many other neighbourhoods. Anyone wanting to report an incident from last night can call Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161.