Langley RCMP break up 'unruly' crowd of 200 young people at illegal street racing event

Police in Langley, B.C., say they had to use pepper spray and a Taser as they dealt with an "unruly" crowd of young people at an illegal street racing event in the city Friday night. 

Langley RCMP say an officer responding to a call on Gloucester Way arrived to find a crowd of around 200 young people allegedly in the area to "participate in illegal street racing and stunting."  

Mounties say the officer wrote violation tickets and was having a vehicle towed when the crowd allegedly "became unruly." Police allege a 16-year-old male tried to obstruct the officer, who had also called for backup. 

Police say officers had to use a Taser on the teen, and that a group of young people then allegedly tried to interfere with his arrest, leading to officers using pepper spray to disperse the crowd. 

They say people in the crowd managed to free the suspect from a police vehicle, but he was later found by a police dog, and is now up on charges for allegedly assaulting an officer. 

Township of Langley Mayor Eric Woodward said street racing remains a persistent issue in the community and called the incident "very unfortunate."

"No RCMP officer should be interfered with or obstructed in this manner," he wrote in a statement to CBC News. "We support the RCMP in their ongoing efforts to address it."

The mayor added that the township initiated traffic calming measures in Gloucester Industrial Estates last September to address the problem, which he says endangers truckers and workers operating overnight.

Supt. Harm Dosange, who heads the Langley RCMP detachment, says the altercation was "deeply troubling" and that there will be more police patrols and traffic enforcement in the area because street racers pose a "significant risk" to the public and police.