Chief reacts angrily to attacks on Edmonton officers

Edmonton will not tolerate assaults on police officers, a visibly upset Chief Mike Boyd warned Monday.

He made the comment at a late-afternoon news conference after a school resource officer was attacked outside Eastglen High School, in northeast Edmonton, earlier in the day by a person wielding a baseball bat. The officer suffered a concussion and facial bruising.

The incident followed another early Saturday morning when a pair of officers were attacked outside a downtown nightclub as they were trying to break up a fight.

"While the officer was struggling on the ground, two males jumped on his chest … and continued to punch and kick him while he was down," said Boyd.

"It makes me wonder about the erosion of community standards when a group of people would turn on two police officers trying to intervene to break up a fight and prevent injury to the two combatants."

'This city is not tolerating this kind of mugging and swarming mentality against our police officers or any citizen in this city.' —Edmonton police Chief Mike Boyd

The two officers were not seriously hurt, said Boyd, something he attributed to the size and fitness of the police constables.

"I'm putting everybody on notice. This city is not tolerating this kind of mugging and swarming mentality against our police officers or any citizen in this city. And I can tell you that the full force of the law will be brought to bear on this problem," said the chief.

Boyd would not provide any specifics on how police intend to deal with the problem.

Three men between the ages of 25 and 37 have been charged with assaulting a police officer and obstruction of justice in connection with the weekend attack.

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the school attack, Boyd said.