Waterloo Regional Police 'very disappointed' in behaviour at Ezra Avenue St. Patrick's Day party
Police closed Ezra Avenue, Bricker Avenue to contain crowd Sunday afternoon
Thousands of students gathered on Ezra Avenue in Waterloo for an unsanctioned St. Patrick's Day party on Sunday.
Waterloo Regional Police closed the street, as well as nearby Bricker Avenue, to contain the growing crowds.
In an update to media Sunday afternoon, Const. Ashley Dietrich said police were "very disappointed" with some of the behaviour of people in attendance.
"We've responded to a number of reports of people damaging property, throwing bottles at officers and at people within the crowds, and this is cause for concern," Dietrich said.
One officer was also injured due to a fall and was taken to hospital to be assessed, she added.
Police received a number of calls relating to underage drinking, open alcohol, public intoxication and damage to property. Dietrich said public safety and crowd management were the top priority throughout the day.
Ezra Ave. has been closed due to large crowds.<br><br>We continue to encourage those celebrating <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StPatricksDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StPatricksDay</a> to do so at a residence or in a licensed establishment - not on the street.<br><br>Several fines being issued for a variety of offences. Please be smart, safe & respectful. <a href="https://t.co/4SbqbsasyS">pic.twitter.com/4SbqbsasyS</a>
—@WRPSTodayKevin Petendra, deputy chief of Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services, said there were 41 calls for service and 18 people were transported to hospital as of Sunday afternoon, with more expected later in the day.
The majority of those calls were related to alcohol and drug misuse, as well as injuries from falls and fractures.
Petendra said the crowd size caused delayed response times and was "overwhelming" for both patients and paramedics.
In a tweet, university officials said, "Laurier actively discourages unsanctioned street gatherings." Students that violate any laws or university policies could face sanctions under the school's code of conduct.
David McMurray, the vice president of student affairs at the university, said Laurier is working closely with a city task force on a long term strategy to deal with large unsanctioned parties in the future.
"This is a new task force that the mayor's office has implemented and there's a lot of optimism that alternatives can be suggested, but I think that people are also realistic at the same time, given the popularity of unsanctioned street gathering that we're seeing from outside the community," McMurray said.
WRPS said the total number of fines, charges and calls for service should be released early in the week. The crowd is estimated to be as large as, or even larger than in previous years.
Last year over 22,000 attended the party. Police laid 619 charges and 52 people were hospitalized.