A drunk and belligerent concert-goer at last weekend’s Rock Ambleside festival found himself headed home on a prison transfer flight.
West Vancouver police say event security noticed a “severely intoxicated” man causing a nuisance at 5 p.m. Sunday when ’70s rock group Toronto was on stage. About 200 people took their eyes and ears off the classic rock to witness the fiasco.
Rock Ambleside attendees busy rocking out to 1970s band Toronto were briefly interrupted Aug. 19 when a “severely intoxicated” man causing a nuisance became combative. photo Lisa King, North Shore News
“They had a bit of a chat with him and decided he was no longer admissible with his level of his intoxication and his behaviour,” said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy, West Vancouver police spokesman.
Instead of going on his way, he became combative and threatened to punch one of the guards and made a run for it, Goodmurphy said.
Security called police who found him on the beach outside the event fence. Still, the suspect wouldn’t go quietly and got into a physical altercation with the officers, Goodmurphy said.
“He ended up running into the ocean and he started swimming,” he said.
Officers on the scene opted to keep their boots dry and call in the Canadian Coast Guard, which arrived within minutes, and the Vancouver Police Department marine unit.
“He swam about 150 metres off shore and was just kind of just floundering around out there,” Goodmurphy said.
When the VPD marine unit arrived, the suspect gave himself up and swam back to shore where West Vancouver officers arrested him without further incident.
Once he was in custody, investigators learned he was the subject of a Canada-wide warrant out of Manitoba.
The man had been on day parole for his prison sentence for theft over $5,000, assaulting a police officer with a weapon, fleeing from police in a vehicle and driving while disqualified.
The 42-year-old has “extensive” history with police, Goodmurphy said. Police do staff up for the classic rock festival, but mostly it is a peaceful affair.
“We do put additional officers on this event for this reason,” Goodmurphy said. “Last year’s and this years, generally speaking, was very safe and there weren’t really any issues.”
