Halifax Police Association says personal vehicles were damaged after 'celebratory event'
The association representing hundreds of police officers and civilian employees in Halifax says a celebratory Juneteenth event late Saturday afternoon got out of hand.
The Halifax Regional Police Association alleges a number of personal vehicles were damaged, and working officers were delayed in responding to an apparent stabbing incident.
"From what we understand at this point, there may have been an attempt to actually blockade the police station and stop vehicles from coming and going," association president Dean Stienburg told CTV News in an interview in Dartmouth on Tuesday.
"A very serious public safety issue for sure."
Organized by the Facebook group Abolish the Police – Halifax/Kjipuktuk, the event was scheduled to run between 5 and 7 p.m.
It's unclear exactly how many people attended, but in a news release, the association said it was alarmed "citizens were incited to commit multiple criminal offences directed towards police service employees."
"We know there were altercations with members that were coming and going from the station, and we're very concerned about that," Stienburg said, adding he wouldn't be providing details publicly.
Halifax Regional Police were similarly tight lipped in an email to CTV News.
"I can confirm that we are investigating reports of property damage and the investigations are in the early stages and no further details are available at this time," said HRP Public Information Officer Const. John MacLeod.
CTV News reached out to the event organizers, but got no response by news time.
Stienburg is convinced some attendees may have been expecting an entirely different event.
"We have reason to believe there were people in that crowd that were there truly to celebrate, and that were not interested in participating in this kind of behaviour. We're encouraging those people to come forward. We don't feel that protesting in this kind of manner is anything that's at all productive or helpful."
"As a matter of fact, it's hurtful and it's divisive."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.