VPD expects riot charge recommendations by end of October
Posted Sep 8, 2011 11:01:21 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver Police will recommend charges related to the Stanley Cup riot by the end of October. Business leaders affected by the riot were given that update Thursday morning during a meeting with the VPD.
It’s already been nearly three months since the riot in the downtown core. Charles Gauthier with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association seems satisfied with what he heard from police.
“You know, I think this was a good opportunity for the business community, to come in here [to find out] what’s being done and why it’s taking probably more time than it should. But I think now I have a better understanding of it.”
Vancouver Police have already stated they want to charge some people with participating in a riot, which is more serious than break and enter or theft. The threshold for proving participation in a riot is higher, which is a large part of the reason why no charges have been filed to date.
Inspector Les Yeo with the VPD says the report recommending charges should be completed quickly after investigators get back from the University of Indianapolis. They are departing at the end of the month, with 1,600 hours of videotape evidence.
“They can do in two to three weeks what would take us two years to process, forensically. And then when we return from there, we’ll look at it, make sure that there’s no other offences for each individual, that we have all the offences that we can see on video. Then we’ll process the charges.”
Fifty-four people have turned themselves in so far.
