Alberta camper beaten for reporting suspected drunk driver

Heard this guy on the news. Sounds like some punks need to be taken down a few notches. Gang beating an old man, how very brave of them.

6 beat him and only two were charged?

He could only identify the two he saw on the back of the truck, while he was trying to get the plate. The 4 in the truck he didn't see.

This is so reprehensible. At least kick the pukes out of the park for being drunk.

Man, are these the coolest guys ever or what?

Absolutely disgusting. I think that ALL provincial parks across the country should have more wardens and whatnot. I camp frequently at provincial parks here in Ontario, and I can tell you that they are understaffed.

Let's hope those pukes get what's coming to them.

-J.

I agree

He was advised to leave the campground and the attackers could stay??? Seriously???

So, let me get this straight. It's now okay to assault people as long as you're in a Provincial Park campground?

Oh that's right. I forgot the Omnibus bill has a clause in it that states:

"Assualts carried out in Alberta Provincial Parks by groups of drunken fucking louts aren't considered an indictable offense and must only be construed as acts non agressive frivolity by both the victim and perpatrators"

Disgusting.

Police can only investigate crime. They prevent it when they can, but the law is biased toward having to wait till afterward.

Disgusting - what a bunch of filthy punks. It's sad what some people do nowadays...

What's worse is that the RCMP didn't even kick the hooligans out of the park too.

At the very least, the cops should have evicted them all - then when the drunks left the park, whamo - DUI for whoever was driving!

Police can only investigate crime. They prevent it when they can, but the law is biased toward having to wait till afterward.


I understand that but, the fact remains only two of the people involved were charged and even then they were allowed to stay at the campgrounds which should contravene the police officers ability to ensure the crime won't continue.


495. (1) A peace officer may arrest without warrant

(a) a person who has committed an indictable offence or who, on reasonable grounds, he believes has committed or is about to commit an indictable offence;

(b) a person whom he finds committing a criminal offence; or

(c) a person in respect of whom he has reasonable grounds to believe that a warrant of arrest or committal, in any form set out in Part XXVIII in relation thereto, is in force within the territorial jurisdiction in which the person is found.



Marginal note:Limitation

(2) A peace officer shall not arrest a person without warrant for

(a) an indictable offence mentioned in section 553,


(b) an offence for which the person may be prosecuted by indictment or for which he is punishable on summary conviction, or


(c) an offence punishable on summary conviction,


in any case where

(d) he believes on reasonable grounds that the public interest, having regard to all the circumstances including the need to

(i) establish the identity of the person,


(ii) secure or preserve evidence of or relating to the offence, or


(iii) prevent the continuation or repetition of the offence or the commission of another offence,

may be satisfied without so arresting the person, and


(e) he has no reasonable grounds to believe that, if he does not so arrest the person, the person will fail to attend court in order to be dealt with according to law.

So how does asking the victim to leave the campground satisfy the section that says the have to arrest a person or persons to prevent the contiuation or repetition of the offence?

The police action or lack there of while probably legal was none the less disgusting. The attitude of let the criminal go and punish the victim seems to have become a common refrain in Canada.

High profile stories like these, where safety cannot be established by the police and where hooligans rule only feed the concern of Joe lunchbox who thinks he has to walk around well armed to defend themselves.

I rarely camp UN provincial parks for just such a reason, and the wide variety of implements I keep very handy to deal with drunks and punks is a sad commentary in where we've come.

Police can only investigate crime. They prevent it when they can, but the law is biased toward having to wait till afterward.


I understand that but, the fact remains only two of the people involved were charged and even then they were allowed to stay at the campgrounds which should contravene the police officers ability to ensure the crime won't continue.


495. (1) A peace officer may arrest without warrant

(a) a person who has committed an indictable offence or who, on reasonable grounds, he believes has committed or is about to commit an indictable offence;

(b) a person whom he finds committing a criminal offence; or

(c) a person in respect of whom he has reasonable grounds to believe that a warrant of arrest or committal, in any form set out in Part XXVIII in relation thereto, is in force within the territorial jurisdiction in which the person is found.

(iii) prevent the continuation or repetition of the offence or the commission of another offence,

So how does asking the victim to leave the campground satisfy the section that says the have to arrest a person or persons to prevent the contiuation or repetition of the offence?

The police action or lack there of while probably legal was none the less disgusting. The attitude of let the criminal go and punish the victim seems to have become a common refrain in Canada.

The victim in the case said he was first jumped by the two guys on the back of the truck when he tried to record the license plate, and by the time the other 4 joined in the kicks to his head prevented him from identifying the other 4.

The police aren't stupid. To his credit, the victim wouldn't accuse the other four knowing he really didn't see them. Everyone knows who was involved, but without the victim of some member of the public identifying the assailants, they won't arrenst them. It's not what the police know or suspect, it's what can be proven in court. So the only thing the Police can do is to let the victim know he may be in further danger, and the best course of action is to not remain so they don't have to respond to further violence later in the evening.

And I'm not sure that I'd want the police to have the ability to arrest and detain people based on their suspicion. That's not the world I want. The one I want is where all the other campers in the campground backed this old gentleman up. The victim described seeing someone with 'legs like treetrunks' who pulled these 6 wastes of government rations off the old guy. That's the guy police need to hear from.

Ultimately, the cuts to the Parks and Rec. budgets that force them to only have one ocassional warden on patrol need to change. I remember many weekend spent in that campground myself, and no one got away with sweet f all after 11pm. Wardens were always coming around, every half hour to 45 minutes, all night.