B.C. man arrested in hockey arena attack that sent 1 to hospital

RCMP say a Grand Forks, B.C., man is facing an aggravated assault charge after a fight broke out among fans at a junior hockey game last month.

They say the 57-year-old suspect turned himself in at the Trail RCMP detachment on April 8, where he was arrested and released under a promise to appear in court in June.

The arrest stems from an incident at a Junior A Tier 2 hockey game at Fruitvale's Beaver Valley Arena last month, when police say the use of an air horn began a dispute.

Things escalated and a man was violently thrown to the ground, suffering serious injuries that sent him to hospital for more than a week, according to police.

LISTEN | District calls for noisemaker ban in wake of hockey fan assault: 

Radio West9:47Hockey noisemaker assault leads to calls for a ban on all noisemakers

Calls are growing for noisemakers to be banned at hockey games in the West Kootenay after a man was violently assaulted during a junior hockey playoff game

Ali Grieve is a director with the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary who knows the victim.

She says he sustained a concussion and underwent surgery on both his legs to repair torn tendons.

Grieve, who is also the chair of Beaver Valley Recreation, says although the victim is now back at home, the impact of the assault on him is ongoing.

"The whole family is still in rough shape and, most importantly, he is focused on how he is going to provide for his family," she said.

Meanwhile, Grieve says board members with the district have voted unanimously in favour of developing a policy to ban noise makers, like air horns, in district arenas.
 

WATCH | RCMP arrest 57-year-old man in connection with incident at junior hockey game 

B.C. man arrested in hockey arena attack that sent 1 to hospital

1 day ago

Duration 2:40

In southeastern BC, RCMP say a Grand Forks man is facing an aggravated assault charge, after a fight broke out among fans at a junior hockey game last month.