Winnipeg police say recent ‘creepy clown’ sightings no laughing matter

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This article was published 16/10/2016 (3366 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two 17-year-old boys dressed as clowns weren’t laughing after Winnipeg police arrested them Saturday night in the Valley Gardens area after they had been allegedly chasing people and carrying what looked like a weapon.

Const. Jason Michalyshen, speaking Sunday at a media briefing, said police responded to the call around 8 p.m. in the 200 block of Antrim Road.

The boys were taken into custody in the 700 block of Kimberly Avenue but were not charged, though police said weapons-related charges and mischief charges were considered. Clown-like masks with purple hair and a large flashlight were located.

It is believed to be the first time in Winnipeg that police have arrested anyone in connection with participating in a creepy clown incident. The practice of wearing frightening clown masks or face-painting and then setting out to scare and chase unsuspecting citizens seems to have started recently in the U.S. but, mostly due to social media sharing, has spread to Canada and now Winnipeg.

“I sure hope that these two individuals, and others who might have this thought in their mind, that this might be a cool thing to do and record it or post this or have some laughs after the fact, I can assure you that should we (police) become involved, they won’t be laughing,” Michalyshen said.

He said Winnipeg police have been receiving reports of creepy clown sightings and school resource officers have been working with schools where there have been reported sightings of people in clown masks trying to scare students.

“It’s causing quite a bit of alarm. We know that this phenomenon has quite a presence on social media. Many of these sightings that I’m aware of did not occur here in Winnipeg. They’re occurring in other areas or jurisdictions but have an impact here as well,” Michalyshen said. “So now, we have the copycat scenario and individuals, quite simply, think it’s funny… It’s not a laughing matter. It’s something that we’re taking very seriously.”

Michalyshen said there were no injuries to the people who were chased — three youth including girls aged 15 and 16 and a boy aged 16 — and they didn’t want to pursue charges. He said the police could have pursued charges anyway, especially if there had been any injuries, but in this case warnings were issued to the boys and the cautionary message to the public. Neither of the boys had a criminal past which was taken into consideration.

“Dressing up as a clown, that’s your prerogative. Dressing up as a clown, chasing people with a weapon, or what is perceived to be a weapon, whether it’s a flashlight possibly believed to be a knife, possibly believed to be a bat, now we’re talking about something different,” Michalyshen said. “The extreme, not that I’m aware of that occurring here at all, but if someone were to be assaulted or hurt in some way, charges would be considered.”

Michalyshen said it was “very fortunate” for the 17-year-old boys who were accused of chasing people while dressed as clowns were not charged.

“We want to make sure people hear us loud and clear. From the Winnipeg Police Service perspective is the fact that we’re not taking this lightly,” he said. “We, as a police service, want to address it, acknowledge it, talk about it and just forewarn those individuals who might be willing or considering becoming involved in something like this that they could find themselves in the back seat of a cruiser car.”

He said the message from police is that that dressing in costumes at the Halloween time of year can be fun but people must be mindful of how their behaviour affects others.

There have been reports of creepy-clown sightings in several U.S. states since August, with some being hoaxes or social media-fuelled pranks.

In Canada, teenagers who were photographed in August wearing clown masks and wielding a chain allegedly chased home kids from a park in Gatineau, Que.

Gatineau police declined to charge the teens as no crime was committed.

U.S. authorities have warned that those making false reports and those allegedly dressing up could face charges.

Last month, an 11-year-old Georgia girl was arrested at school with a knife she reportedly was carrying to fend off clown attacks.

Kendall Savage, the organizer of the first-ever Montreal Clown Festival, said plenty of serious training and study is required to learn a very difficult craft that has slim job prospects.

“You can’t just slap on a mask and a silly suit and all of a sudden, you’re a clown,” Savage said.

Professional clowns say their craft shouldn’t be confused with the sightings of creepy clowns across North America.

Stacey Laureyssens, interim president of the 150-member Clowns Canada, said the distinction between the fear-sowing tricksters and the real thing should be clear.

“People dressing up like clowns to scare people is just the same as dressing like scarecrows, zombies or vampires to scare people,” said Laureyssens (a.k.a. Empress Cherry Sunday), who was in Montreal last month for a clown festival.

“What these people are doing is acting like monsters in clown costumes to prank people. They are not clowns.”

In terms of overall impact, Laureyssens suggested budget cuts to the arts hurt the profession more than creepy clowns.

“It is important to remember: a cheap artist isn’t skilled and a skilled artist isn’t cheap,” Laureyssens said.

Savage, meanwhile, dismisses the notion that regular clowns and entertainers are scaring people more and more.

“They’re afraid of idiots hiding in bushes and there’s a huge difference,” she said.

— with files from The Canadian Press

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca