Guelph's Homecoming Weekend Sent 7 People To The Hospital & A Firework Shot Into The Crowd
Seven people were sent to the hospital for "extreme intoxication" to beer bottle injuries.
University of Guelph's homecoming weekend went out with the bang of fireworks, thrown beer bottles, and saw seven people sent to hospital, according to Guelph police.
Guelph police report that between 10 a.m. on September 25 and 3 a.m. on September 26, police and the City of Guelph Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement attended over 310 calls in less than 24 hours.
Fifty of the 310 calls for service were noise complaints, and 29 calls were incidents of open liquor outdoors. Police say on an average 24 hour day, they normally receive 200 calls across the city.
Police say "numerous" fines were given out for "hosting gatherings, attending gatherings, and consuming alcohol outside private residences and licensed establishments," as well as public urination and intoxication in a public place.
A large street party of "hundreds of young adults" on Chancellors Way by Edinburgh Road South took place in the 17-hour window and according to police, the additional police personally sent to maintain the safety of the gathering "represents a cost of well over $30,000."
Street Party
During the street party, a 19-year-old man lit a firework in the middle of a crowd, and while holding it up, "the firework launched in the air twice, and the male then ran with the firework, pointing the tube in the direction of a cluster of attendees, who scattered out of the way as it shot in their direction."
The man was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Seven people from the street party were sent to Guelph General Hospital for "extreme intoxication" to injuries from being hit by beer bottles tossed into the crowd.
Police, the Guelph Fire Department, the City of Guelph Bylaw Department, and the Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service worked together to "ensure the safety of those attending the unsanctioned event."
However, police say despite "additional resources on scene, managing the event was quite difficult for first responders due to ongoing safety concerns, specifically the constant throwing of beer bottles by many of those in attendance."
Police say throughout the event, a beer bottle was thrown from an apartment window at police, landing on a police cruiser, a large crowd surrounded and banged on a police cruiser's hood and windows with officers inside, and the back window of one motor vehicle was smashed along with the windshield of another while parked in the building lot.
University Of Guelph Reaction
University of Guelph president Charlotte Yates thanked police and other first responders for their efforts at the unsanctioned street party in a statement on September 26.
"I want to thank local police and fire and campus safety officers for their hard work and commitment. It is unfortunate that the actions of some people distract us from the many wonderful and important contributions the University and our students make to the life and energy of this city," she said
"Ensuring public health and safety is a shared responsibility, and those who attended this large gathering did not behave responsibly."
Yates said the university will "not tolerate activity that puts people at risk, especially during a pandemic."