REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

nns · 09-30-2011, 07:35 PM

Quote:

SASKATOON — An angry mob torched an RCMP truck, threw bottles and menaced officers and EMTs in the northern Saskatchewan community of La Loche early Friday.

The mob also damaged an ambulance and an emergency entrance door at the hospital, where people had been denied access.

The chaotic incident began when a man was injured after crashing into a ditch on an ATV as he attempted to speed around a police vehicle that was stopped in the road with its emergency lights flashing.

People who were partying in two nearby residences came out to the scene after the mishap occurred, RCMP said in a news release.

"While members were speaking with the injured male driver and tending to his injuries, beer cans and bottles started to rain down on them from several people attending the two parties," the news release said.

"I think the terminology of a mob would be very correct," said RCMP Insp. Jay McInnis.

Police said the incident started around 3:15 a.m. when two members of the RCMP in the town of 2,300 about 475 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon responded to a complaint of a fire outside a residence. The officers, after parking their vehicle and activating their emergency equipment, attempted to stop two ATVs that were heading north.

The drivers of the ATVs drove around the RCMP truck at speeds of about 40 to 60 km/h, with one fleeing the scene successfully while the other — driven by a 29-year-old man — went into a ditch and lost control.

"There was plenty of time for those two vehicles to stop once the lights were engaged. They made a conscious decision to go around," McInnis said.

After police approached the injured driver, the man stood up and identified himself before passing out. RCMP summoned an ambulance.

Besides throwing things at the officers and the ambulance staff, several people from the parties surrounded the RCMP truck and ambulance, swore at the officers, blamed them for the man's injuries and made threats, RCMP say.

After police and ambulance staff left the scene and took the injured man to hospital, about 50 to 70 people gathered outside and attempted to get in, RCMP say.

Police believe the crowd intended to forcibly remove the two RCMP officers. Police and a hospital security guard barricaded the doors to keep the crowd outside.

"Members resorted to using pepper spray on several persons in the crowd to stop the entry," the news release said.

All 17 members of the La Loche RCMP detachment were deployed to the hospital to disperse the crowd and get the officers out safely.

The injured ATV driver suffered minor injuries, according to the RCMP.

None of the officers, ambulance staff or hospital employees suffered any serious injuries.

La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois said it is common for family and friends to go to the health centre after emergencies.

"It is quite possible," there were only a few trouble makers amid the larger crowd, Jolibois said.

McInnis disagreed.

"Clearly it was more than family and friends. Regardless of who it is, the appropriate behaviour that one would expect is certainly not to set vehicles on fire and smash windows of the ambulance," McInnis said.

La Loche was identified by police and the RCMP last spring as one of the communities in need of additional resources. In April, the government announced funding from the 2011-12 budget would pay for hiring 30 additional officers for crime hot spots in Saskatchewan. Two more officers will be hired for La Loche, McInnis said Friday.

The ambulance can probably be repaired, Petit said. A backup ambulance from Buffalo Narrows was brought in within hours, he said.

The violent incident is likely to make it harder for the health region to attract staff, Petit said.

"That would be a traumatic event for anybody in the nurse's department, EMS as well. They were all inside the building," he said.

"This is not good for recruiting and retention . . . Traumatizing employees who are there serving our community, it's difficult when you have this kind of thing happen, for sure. It's really sad," he said.

Saskatoon StarPhoenix

badam@thestarphoenix.com

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

Stupid people.