Woman charged for assaulting police officer during DTES tent removal
Vancouver police say a woman has been charged for assaulting an officer near the tent encampment on East Hastings Street Tuesday, and several other people are under investigation.
The charge of assault with a weapon against 44-year-old Alene West stems from an altercation between police and members of the public during the city's attempts to remove tents from the street.
The Vancouver Police Department says officers were called to the area of Main and Hastings streets by staff at the Carnegie Centre, who reported that a man was behaving violently inside.
The VPD says officers were present – but not involved in – the tent removal efforts. While they were responding to the Carnegie Centre call, according to police, officers were "surrounded and assaulted" by a crowd that had gathered to observe the tent removal.
Seven people were arrested, including three who were "temporarily detained at jail for breaching the peace," police said. Three others – including the alleged perpetrator of the Carnegie Centre violence – are expected to appear in court at a later date, according to the VPD.
Last month, Vancouver's fire chief ordered the dismantling of the tent city set up on sidewalks on Hastings Street between Gore Avenue and Abbott Street, saying the move was necessary to avoid a potentially devastating situation if a fire were to break out.
Efforts to remove the tents were delayed while the city sought a solution to allow tent city residents to store their belongings, but began in earnest this week.
The city has said it expects the enforcement of the fire chief's order to take weeks, and BC Housing says it has told the city it does not have "large numbers of new spaces" available on short notice for the people who have been living in the tents.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.