‘Disturbance’ prompts major police response
Fredericton Police Force reports its officers, Mounties responded to situation involving “large crowd” on north side Sunday evening; one male suspect arrested at scene
A volatile situation involving a large crowd on Fredericton’s north side required officers from the city police force and the RCMP to contain the situation, the Fredericton police report.
“At approximately 1915 on Aug. 20, members of the Fredericton Police Force (FPF), along with NB RCMP, Fredericton Fire Department and EMS, responded to a report of a disturbance on Fredericton’s north side,” Fredericton police spokesperson Sonya Gilks wrote in an email to the Fredericton Independent on Monday.
“Upon arrival, members observed a large crowd gathered in an area that required immediate containment.”
She said “a co-ordinated response” involving the police force’s emergency response team, RCMP officers and members from the city police’s patrol division, managed the crowd while ensuring public safety.
Officers arrested on male suspect at the scene, Gilks said, but he was later released on conditions. It’s expected he’ll face a charge of assault with a weapon, she said.
Though online chatter - which indicated the incident occurred in the area of Bear Lane, on the grounds of the Sitansisk (St. Mary’s) First Nation - suggested numerous people at the scene were taken to hospital with injuries.
Gilks didn’t confirm if people were taken to hospital.
“There were no reports of serious injuries,” she wrote.
Gilks didn’t say what prompted the incident or the gathering of the crowd, but she noted the matter remains under investigation.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.