Party goers in Vancouver on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2020, in large crowds despite the ongoing pandemic. (Screenshot)
Crowds of hostile partiers, stabbings, a car fire: Vancouver police busy on Halloween weekend
Vancouver police responded to over 800 calls for service during a 24 hour time period
Nov. 2, 2020 12:30 p.m.
It was a busy weekend for Vancouver police officers – from burning vehicles, to stabbings, to large crowds of hostile partiers with 911 calls being received every minute and 11 seconds.
Vancouver police responded to over 800 calls for service during a 24 hour time period over the Halloween weekend, the department said in a news release Monday (Nov. 2). Typically, a new police call is generated every two minutes and 16 seconds on regular weekends.
But Halloween was far from typical in the days of a pandemic – at least along Granville Street where pubs and other restaurants were open.
"The number of people along Granville Street grew larger than expected during a pandemic," police said, so much so that social distancing tickets were not issued to party goers due to the "hostile demeanor" of the crowd.
In one instance, officers tried to pull over a white Range Rover with passengers sitting on the sides of the windows, instead of in vehicle seats. But while conducting the vehicle stop, police said the passengers got out of the SUV and swarmed the responding officers.
WATCH: Halloween crowds gather in Downtown Vancouver despite B.C. top doctor's plea to avoid parties
Those officers requested additional cover officers as the group increased to 30 people and "were becoming increasingly belligerent towards police."
One man jumped on the hood of a police vehicle in an attempt to provoke the crowd, police said. He was arrested.
Meanwhile, another police vehicle had its right rear passenger side window smashed. No one has been arrested in this incident.
Other calls included an unoccupied purple Porsche Panamera being lit on fire near Turner and Lillooet streets. Fire investigators believe the incident was arson and a probe is underway.
A number of serious incidents occurred between 5:15 and 6:15 a.m. on the Downtown Eastside early Sunday morning, including a woman in her 50s being struck over the head with a blunt object and an unrelated stabbing during an altercation at Empire Field which was followed by two other stabbing incidents, both along East Hastings.
In all three cases, the victims were taken to hospital with varying injuries and police continue to investigate each matter.
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