On one Friday in June a swarm of angry beachgoers encircled two VPD officers making an arrest at English Bay beach. The scene quickly escalated leading to a search for the crowd's main aggressors. Five months later charges have been laid.
At the time of the incident, VPD’s beach patrol officers were called to investigate a large fight and a possible assault involving 10 people at around 7 p.m. on June 18.
As officers were trying to defuse the situation and disperse the crowd, one man began causing a disturbance and refused to leave, resulting in his arrest. This arrest caused dozens of beachgoers to surround the police, making the situation extremely volatile, the VPD stated in a recent release.
In the days following, the VPD launched a search for the suspects captured on video.
“We’ve reviewed video clips posted online and have identified two agitators who incited the crowd, assaulted the police officers, and obstructed them as they were doing their jobs,” Cnst. Tania Visintin said at the time.
Now charges have been laid against three individuals involved.
“Thanks to tips from the public, we were able to identify these alleged agitators and arrest them,” says Visintin. “We presented the evidence to the BC Prosecution Service, which this week approved criminal charges.”
Anthony King, 26, and 21-year-old Chas Verrier from North Vancouver have been charged with assaulting a police officer and obstructing a police officer. The third suspect, a youth, has been charged with assaulting a police officer and obstructing a police officer.
Editor's note: V.I.A. has confirmed that charges against Anthony King were stayed on August 22, 2022.
