Replica handgun at hockey tournament sparks panic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/02/2017 (3505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three men are facing assault and other charges after Winnipeg police took several people into custody Sunday evening after someone brandished a replica handgun at the Dakota Community Centre during the Southeast Tribal Days hockey tournament.

Police said Monday officers responded to a call of a disturbance at about 5:45 p.m. The initial call was a report of a spectator with a handgun.

“There was a replica handgun and no significant injuries,” Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver said.

The weapon was later determined to be a replica firearm that was a BB/pellet gun.

Security hired by the tournament host, the Southeast Resource Development Council (SERDC), led an evacuation of the arena but a flurry of social media posts about a handgun — before it was known to be a fake — fuelled panic and confusion.

People, including many children and families, who had been watching the bantam boys (ages 13-14) hockey game), spilled out into the parking lot as officers arrived to investigate.

Police said the incident started when three men arrived at Dakota CC and began to fight with three men in the stands.

When security personnel intervened, one of the accused pulled out the weapon. Security officers held the suspects until police arrived and took trio into custody.

Dakota Community Centre CEO Michelle Augert said the evacuation began when the replica gun was spotted.

“It caused a bit of panic and people fled,” she said. “We have a lot of doors in and out of this facility, so it (evacuation) happened very quickly. We’re very pleased that the situation was handled appropriately and very proud of the people that stepped in and ensured the safety and security of the people here were maintained.

She said the facility had been rented to the SERDC for the tournament, a large event involving 84 teams of mostly youth players, so no other events were happening at the facility at the time.

“We’re still really looking into exactly how everything played out. There was a lot of people here and there was event security staff on hand as well as (community centre) staff. From what I’m hearing, everything was handled quite appropriately and authorities were called immediately,” Augert said.

“It was unfortunate there was a bit of panic situation but everything turned out to be OK.”

In a statement, SERDC said the tournament’s bantam-age group final was cancelled as a result of the incident.

“SERDC wishes to thank the WPS and security staff for their prompt and diligent response,” the statement read. “SERDC remains focused on the well-being of all those who may have been adversely affected by the incident. As such, SERDC management is following up by engaging a community-health crisis team to provide counselling and support to children and family members who may have been impacted by the incident.”

Augert said she and her staff would be meeting with SERDC representatives to review details surrounding the incident but did not say if it would impact the group’s future access to the facility.

“That’s all part of our de-brief that we will be meeting with event organizers to discuss the situation and talk about next steps,” she said. “Certainly when any of these situations happen, you have to look at all of the circumstances that led up to the event and that’s what we are still looking at. We want to ensure that Dakota Community Centre is here for the community and it is a safe environment for all of the numerous activities that happen here on a daily basis. So we constantly look at these things to see if they are appropriate for the community centre going forward.”

Ryan Matthew Boulanger, 28, of Bloodvein, was charged with three counts of assault, possessing a weapon, two counts of failing to comply with a recognizance. He was wanted on three arrest warrants.

Jeremy Peltier, 29, of Winnipeg, was charged with three counts of assault, possessing a weapon, and failing to comply with an undertaking.

Nathan Scott, 23, of Winnipeg was charged with three counts of assault and failing to comply with a probation order.

All three men are in custody.

The Southeast Tribal Days hockey tournament was in the news for an on-ice incident in February 2014 when the tournament was played at the Southdale Community Centre. During a peewee game, a 12-year-old boy suffered a broken wrist when a referee landed on him while trying to break up an on-ice skirmish. The fallen referee was hit on his back with sticks by two other youth players and was jumped on by one of the coaches.

A police investigation concluded that a coach and two players should be charged. In April 2014, a 35-year-old man from Sagkeeng First Nation was arrested and charged with assault. In October 2014, two boys were charged with assault with a weapon.