Calgary Police Chief Says Falconridge Weekend Clash is “the Largest Violent Event in City’s Recent Memory”

Calgary police says the clash in Calgary’s Falconridge neighborhood on Saturday was a “planned, targeted attack.”

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Calgary Police chief, Mark Neufeld says the violent clash is “really the largest violent event to happen in our city in recent memory, if you think about the number of people that were involved in this.”

The police says a task force has been formed to investigate who should be held accountable. “We believe that the situation is linked to the ongoing conflict involving some members of the Eritrean community and is related to similar events we’ve seen transpire around the world”, said Chief Constable Neufeld.

On Saturday, 5pm, the police responded to reports of two groups with opposing views engaged in violence. The police says they believe up to 150 people were involved.  The police reportedly arrive on scene to find people armed with weapons.

“It was a senseless violence that was sort of planned and premeditated and there were individuals who wanted this to happen, and it did”, said the police chief.

The violence left 12 people hospitalized, some with serious injuries. The police believes those hospitalized were part of the violence and no bystanders were injured. However, residents and businesses in the area who had nothing to do with the clash suffered some damage.

The police expects the investigation to take some time, given the number of people involved in the incident. “We do not anticipate further violence” said Chief Const. Neufeld. He added that the police will respond accordingly if any.

The police have asked anyone with information about the clash to call the police at 403- 226- 1234 or submit tips anonymously at Crime Stoppers.

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