Videos of a large group shouting obscenities at RCMP in Moncton police continue to circulate on social media.
The incident happened on Mountain Road on Saturday night, on the same weekend as the Atlantic Nationals Extravaganza.
Hundreds of onlookers were watching as cars did burnouts near Mapleton Road at an unsanctioned event.
“This year was the worst that I’ve seen since 2019, since I’ve been here. It’s unfortunate because it takes away from the positivity of the events,” Codiac RCMP Superintendent Benoit Jolette explained to Moncton City Council on Monday night.
The Atlantic Nationals Extravaganza has been held for the past 26 years in Moncton, with events on Main Street in downtown Moncton and at Centennial Park, but often there are unsanctioned events that occur on the Friday and Saturday nights.
“There’s a stark difference with the non-organized activities, and that’s where all the issues happen. Specifically over the last two years, we’ve taken a measured approach: education, being there, and making sure people are safe so they can have fun. But what we saw from some residents and some non-residents who showed up over the weekend was that they were not here to have fun. They were here to cause issues. And some people almost got seriously hurt,” Jolette explained.
Reports of cars doing burnouts and racing
Jolette told us they had extra officers available for the specific event, but not enough to deal with the number of people that were there.
“Our members got circled by people who were just angry and intoxicated. It’s always a tiny little percentage of the population that causes problems like this. But this is my commitment to this council and to the residents here. It will not happen again. It will not happen again because we have a duty to preserve public safety and order. And it was at the cusp of losing control on Saturday. Didn’t get there, but it was pretty close,” Jolette added.
Jolette stressed the behaviour will not be tolerated next year
Jolette stated that the measured approach did not work, specifically for those non-organized areas, and they’re going to continue to work with the city and the organizers to make sure that’s it’s safe for everybody.
In an email, Corporal Luc Picard told our newsroom that a small number of individuals were arrested, and the RCMP dealt with approximately 57 offences under New Brunswick’s Motor Vehicle Act.
Mayor Shawn Crossman added that the RCMP need to provide a briefing to Moncton City Council and to residents as to exactly what happened on Mountain Road on Saturday night.
