Guelph's Homecoming Weekend Sent 7 People To Hospital & A Firework Was Shot Into The Crowd

The University of Guelph's homecoming weekend went off with a bang, with fireworks, thrown beer bottles, and seven people sent to hospital, according to Guelph police.

Guelph police report that between 10 a.m. on September 25 and 3 a.m. on September 26, police and the City of Guelph Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement attended over 310 calls.

Fifty of the 310 calls for service were noise complaints, and 29 calls were incidents of open liquor outdoors. Police say on an average 24 hour day, they normally receive 200 calls across the city.

Police say "numerous" fines were given out for people who were "hosting gatherings, attending gatherings, and consuming alcohol outside private residences and licensed establishments," as well as for public urination and intoxication in a public place.

A large street party of "hundreds of young adults" on Chancellors Way by Edinburgh Road South took place in the 17 hours and, according to police, additional police personnel sent to maintain the safety of the gathering "represents a cost of well over $30,000."

Street Party

During the street party, police said an adult male lit a firework in the middle of a crowd, and "the firework launched in the air twice, and the male then ran with the firework, pointing the tube in the direction of a cluster of attendees, who scattered out of the way as it shot in their direction."

A 19-year-old man was subsequently arrested and charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Seven people from the street party were sent to Guelph General Hospital for injuries ranging from "extreme intoxication" to being hit by beer bottles tossed into the crowd.

Police, the Guelph Fire Department, the City of Guelph Bylaw Department, and the Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service worked together to "ensure the safety of those attending the unsanctioned event."

However, police said that despite "additional resources on scene, managing the event was quite difficult for first responders due to ongoing safety concerns, specifically the constant throwing of beer bottles by many of those in attendance."

Police say throughout the event, a beer bottle was thrown from an apartment window at police, landing on a police cruiser, a large crowd surrounded and banged on a police cruiser's hood and windows with officers inside, and the back window of one motor vehicle was smashed along with the windshield of another vehicle while they were parked in the buildings' lots.

University Of Guelph Reaction

University of Guelph President Charlotte Yates thanked police and other first responders for their efforts at the unsanctioned street party in a statement on September 26.

"I want to thank local police and fire and campus safety officers for their hard work and commitment. It is unfortunate that the actions of some people distract us from the many wonderful and important contributions the University and our students make to the life and energy of this city," she said

"Ensuring public health and safety is a shared responsibility, and those who attended this large gathering did not behave responsibly."

Yates said the university will "not tolerate activity that puts people at risk, especially during a pandemic."