RCMP getting 'traction' on identifying suspects at wild party north of Winnipeg
'There's a tremendous amount of information coming our way,' says RCMP's Kyle McFadyen
WARNING: This article contains details of an attempted sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Police are poring through reams of video to identify partygoers who trashed an RCMP cruiser and swarmed and spat on officers just outside of Winnipeg on the weekend.
"We're still pretty early in the investigation. However, that being said, we've got some traction on it and we're in the middle of going through some of our in-car police audio and video that we know will be very helpful," said RCMP Staff Sgt. Kyle McFadyen.
"There's a tremendous amount of information coming our way and … we're pretty confident that we'll get through that information and hold those responsible accountable for their actions."
Investigators also scrutinizing a number of videos that have been sent to them and more they have pulled off social media, plus they're looking at home security footage from neighbours in the area.
Police started getting calls around 10 p.m. Saturday about a large party that had spilled out into the yard and street at a home on Saddleridge Lane.
WATCH | Social media footage of intoxicated youth at party in East St. Paul:
The initial officers reported about 70 people but as it turned out, the party "was far larger than they had anticipated," McFadyen said. The majority were age 14 up to the early 20s.
"The longer we were on scene there, it seemed that more and more people started congregating out in the street. It's largely just an estimation but certainly there were several hundred."
Officers were swarmed by the crowd, many of whom were heavily intoxicated. Some officers who are people of colour were called racial slurs while others were spit on, police said earlier this week.
Inside the house, the officers saw vandalism from spray paint and evidence of "excessive drug use." While they were inside, the crowd turned its attention to the cruisers parked on the street.
Some people climbed onto the vehicles and started stomping on them. A windshield was shattered when someone jumped on it. Some people in the crowd also launched fireworks at police and the cruisers, police said.
Someone at the party also sprayed bear mace in the crowd outside of the house, McFadyen said.
Jordan Jutiz, 19, said the party was widely publicized on social media platforms, primarily Snapchat, a week before it happened.
The day of the party, video clips showing large crowds inside the house and garage were being posted as well, he said.
Jutiz showed up a while after the party started and had to park several blocks away. He was unaware two police cars were already there until he and his friends finally made their way to the street.
"It was all so shocking. I've never seen anything like that," said Jutiz, who started recording video as the mob went after the empty cruisers.
"I guess I kind of just recorded because it was chaotic."
He was only there for about 20 minutes and never went into the yard or house, he said. Shortly after the windshield was smashed, people started scattering because the officers came running from the house and more cruisers showed up.
Officers from the Winnipeg Police Service as well as RCMP detachments in Selkirk, Oakbank and Stonewall eventually arrived to back up the first responders.
Jutiz, who estimates there were about 10 police vehicles, said he never met the host and he didn't know most of the people there. He didn't know what else was going on, away from the street chaos.
"We weren't involved in any of that. We were just basically watching what was happening," he said.
RCMP said in a news release Monday that officers stopped an attempted sexual assault when they saw an intoxicated girl being dragged into a bush by two males. The girl was taken to hospital with serious injuries, but the two who dragged her got away when officers intervened.
"For many people this was just a house party, but for us, that was our primary focus — community safety. And we do believe there's a high potential for other violent offences to have occurred," McFadyen said.
"So we are asking for anybody who maybe hasn't yet reported to us … [to come forward about] anything that might have happened that night."
Several people were arrested that night as officers tried to control the scene, but McFadyen didn't have exact number.
No charges have been laid yet but "that will come as the investigation progresses," he said.
Police routinely respond to loud parties but "this definitely stands out as one of the worst ones we've seen," McFadyen said.
An RCMP cruiser is now out of service because of the damage it sustained, while another requires repairs but is still usable.
"This incident did take a lot of our resources off the road for other complaints, and now we've also got some equipment that we're not able to use and that's always of concern to us, and it should be for the public," McFadyen said.
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With files from Stephanie Cram and Caitlyn Gowriluk