It was a busy Victoria Day for police services in Peel Region and Toronto as they responded to several incidents of fireworks being shot at people, including at a park in Brampton where 13 people were arrested.
Video circulating online also shows someone shooting fireworks from a vehicle as it drives through a plaza parking lot near Kings Cross and Kensington Roads, prompting people to run away.
Peel police media relations officer Const. Tyler Bell confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that they were aware of the video.
“We also have video of that, and very clear video from our drones. In moments like that, where there’s large crowds being dispersed, it’s very difficult for police to be everywhere at once,” Bell said.
He added that the incident is being investigated, and those who were in the car will face charges once identified.
“Just because those people haven’t been arrested yet doesn’t mean that investigators are reviewing that content,” Bell said.
50 calls for service at Chinguacousy Park
He believes that after the city closed the nearby Chinguacousy Park due to large “unsafe” gatherings and similar incidents involving fireworks, crowds migrated to the surrounding areas, including the nearby parking lots.
The park, located near Queen Street East and Bramalea Road, was shut down by the city in anticipation of “larger groups of youth” attending, many of whom, Bell said, would be there with fireworks.
“There was some information to believe that they were going to use those fireworks to fire upon one another,” he added.
Brampton residents are banned from setting off fireworks, including on Victoria Day.
Bell said over 2,000 people were at the park at some point, and officers responded to incidents of fireworks being set off at individuals and small grass fires caused by the fireworks.
Roads were briefly closed as people ran into traffic, trying to get away from the fireworks.
Several police units were at the park from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. to ensure “law and order,” according to Bell.
“Peel police deployed pretty rapidly, and quite impressively, so I might add, given that it was a holiday, and all these officers were called in on time off to affect public safety measures,” he said.
“There was a pretty large disturbance in the area, and with that also came dozens upon dozens of calls for service.”
Bell shared that police received up to 50 calls on Monday.
“This was like a complete disregard for safety. There can be substantial harm caused by these, especially if you get hit in the head or the face. We’ve seen that happen before. We’ve seen people seriously injured before,” he said.
“This goes beyond just regular horseplay.”
13 arrested, replica firearm seized
As a result, 13 people were arrested and removed from the park. Bell said all but one are adults between the ages of 18 and 26.
He shared that the charges laid include trespassing under the provincial offences act, as well as weapons dangerous, possession of weapons, and dangerous possession of explosives under the Criminal Code.
“In the eyes of the Criminal Code, when you’re using a firework to shoot at another person, it’s perceived as a weapon,” Bell said, adding that replica firearms were also seized.
“There’s no reason to be bringing replica guns or any weapons to events like this, other than to be up to no good.”
Bell noted that Monday’s incidents were a learning opportunity for Peel police and warned they will be “a lot less forgiving” for future large events at parks.
“I want to be making clear is if you’ve got a group of people coming to the park with the idea that they’re going to be shooting fireworks at one another, that’s a separate issue, and that’s something that they’re consenting on between themselves,” he said.
“But the people that are there, just enjoying the park, the people that are going to the plaza to use the stores, they can’t consent to any of this, and they’re getting caught in the crossfire, quite literally, and that’s not right. And we have a duty to protect those people, and we will, and we’ll do it very well.
2 arrested in Toronto for fireworks
Two people who allegedly shot fireworks into a crowd of people during Toronto’s Victoria Day celebrations are facing charges.
In a statement to CP24, Toronto police said the two suspects are a male youth and a male in his 20s. Neither has been identified.
Videos from Ashbridges Bay submitted to CTV News showed someone aiming what appeared to be a lit “roman candle” at crowds on the beach and boardwalk, as some people screamed and ran to get out of the way.
Toronto police said three other individuals were arrested for theft and assault but released no additional details regarding those charges.
The arrests were made on the same night that Toronto hosted its annual Victoria Day fireworks display at the waterfront site.
Toronto police have stepped up their presence during the event in recent years after chaos ensued in 2022, when two people were shot, two were robbed at gunpoint, one person was stabbed, and groups of people began shooting fireworks at each other.
