Cop hit with baton, cruiser swarmed at unruly Halloween party in B.C.'s Lower Mainland

FILE: Teenagers gather at an outdoor Halloween party in Delta, B.C., in October 2022.

Overwhelmed RCMP officers had their hands full responding to one particularly unruly Halloween gathering in B.C.'s Lower Mainland on Thursday – with an estimated 300 young people involved in the ruckus.

Mounties responded to 56 calls in the community of Mission that night, but some of the wildest came from a large gathering in the area of Albert McMahon Elementary School.

“Police received reports of various offences, including youth assaulting another youth, rocks being thrown at a car, fireworks being shot at cars, and fireworks being set off in the direction of buildings,” Mission RCMP said in a news release Friday.

While trying to break up the party, one officer was allegedly struck in the face and hand with a baton.

After another officer placed one of the youths into a cruiser, a group of partiers surrounded the vehicle, tried to open the doors, and “began kicking and spitting on the police car,” according to the RCMP.

“Officers did their best to manage the situation, however despite additional resources having been scheduled in anticipation of the higher call volume, the sheer number of persons acting recklessly was overwhelming,” the detachment wrote, in the release.

None of the responding officers were seriously hurt during the incident.

Local firefighters were called in to block the surrounding streets while Mounties dispersed the crowd, and officers ultimately issued “multiple tickets for a variety of infractions” and made “some” arrests, the RCMP said.

The detachment also thanked bystanders who called 911 to report concerning behaviour at the party.

Authorities across B.C.’s Lower Mainland have dealt with outdoor Halloween gatherings of various sizes over recent years, including one in Delta in 2022 that was attended by an estimated 400 teenagers and young adults.

Multiple people were injured during that party, including a girl whose jacket caught fire after she was shot with a firework.