A violent brawl caught on video is shocking leaders in Surrey, leading to police asking the public to come forward with any tips on those involved.
The footage shows a group of people fighting, some with what appear to be metal rods or golf clubs hitting vehicles. Police say it happened in the 7000-block of 128th Street some time before 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 11.
Surrey RCMP Corporal Elenore Sturko said police were made aware of the incident by a victim, and a witness.
While police were aware of the incident earlier in the week, they didn’t receive a copy of the video until Thursday, Sturko noted.
“Now that we have a copy of the video, it opens up investigative avenues for us,” she said.
Sturko said police “know it’s disturbing to the public” to watch the footage, but the “positive of it being widely distributed” is that there are many more people who may be able to identify those involved.
“We’re asking anyone with more information to contact Surrey RCMP (at 604-599-0502),” said Sturko, or Crime Stoppers if they want to remain anonymous at solvecrime.ca.
Police are investigating the incident as assault with a weapon, as well as vandalism to a property in the parking lot.
This latest incident comes after another brawl was captured on video in August not too far from this latest violence, in a shopping centre in Strawberry Hill.
“We’ve increased our patrols since the last incident and presence in the area,” said Sturko, adding that officers have also engaged with businesses in the area, making suggestions to property owners about various security measures that can be taken.
In that case, no one officially reported the incident to police.
At the time, Constable Richard Wright told the Now-Leader that officers “are aware that this behaviour goes on in the area.”
The area is considered an “active hot spot for frontline officers, subject to multiple patrols throughout their shift,” he said in August.
READ MORE: ‘So tired of all this violence’: Dramatic brawl caught on video in Surrey
Meantime, Mayor Doug McCallum is decrying the “repugnant” behaviour of the young men in the latest Newton brawl.
“I am deeply concerned that this kind of mob violence is happening with alarming frequency,” said McCallum in a statement Friday morning. “In August, another large brawl in the Strawberry Hill area was caught on video. This behavior is repugnant and puts the public at risk. It is imperative that RCMP take immediate and strong action to get a handle on this kind of mob violence that is occurring far too frequently in Surrey.”
The grassroots anti-gang group Wake Up Surrey has also issued a statement about the incident, saying it has received the video showing “horrific mob type violence.”
“As Canadians we find this behavior appalling and have forwarded the information to the RCMP,” the statement reads. “We also request our elected officials at the federal and provincial level to take leadership of this increasing type of crime occurring on our streets. Wake Up Surrey since June 2018 has tried to bring awareness to this volatile issue when such violence was occurring near Strawberry Hill mall. There should be zero tolerance towards such despicable behavior and the swiftest legal means to control this violence.”
SEE ALSO: Video captures violence and chaos in Surrey neighbourhood
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