Charity event goodwill marred by rowdy behaviour

The community goodwill generated by a popular charity hockey game was marred on Thursday night due to the boorish behaviour of some attendees, which allegedly included smashing beer bottles at a bus stop and throwing an empty beer can at a television cameraman.

Eyewitnesses say they saw a large, apparently drunken crowd on Stuart St at approximately 7:30 p.m., attempting to board a city bus that would take them to the Cure Cancer Classic at the Leon’s Centre. When it became clear that the bus was already at capacity and would not be able to take all attendees at once, witnesses say the crowd became rowdy and aggressive, allegedly throwing beer bottles at the bus and forcing themselves into the vehicle.

A passerby was sufficiently concerned with the incident and the bus driver’s safety that they called Kingston Police, but by the time officers arrived a few minutes later, the crowd had already dispersed or been picked up by other buses and there was no apparent need for police intervention, says Kingston Police Media Relations Officer Ash Gutheinz.

A video taken by a witness and shared with Kingstonist depicts a large crowd attempting to board the bus on Stuart St, the distinct sound of at least one beer bottle being thrown and smashing, and the crowd loudly reacting.

For its part, Kingston Transit says that no damage was caused to any of its buses last night, no drivers were threatened or assaulted, and that at no time did drivers feel that the situation warranted police assistance.

The boorish behaviour appears to have continued at the hockey game, with several beer cans allegedly being thrown on the ice, attendees attempting to climb the glass onto the ice, and a report of an empty beer can being thrown at a television cameraman’s head. Fortunately, the beer can narrowly missed its target and the cameraman was uninjured.