CBC News – Provincial police have arrested and charged eight people from Pikangikum First Nation in northwestern Ontario, after a protest last month destroyed three police vehicles and left officers barricaded inside their detachment.
Four adults and four young offenders were arrested and charged on July 7 or July 8 with a variety of offences.
A 30-year-old woman is facing charges of assault a peace officer with a weapon. Other charges include break and enter, mischief and breach of probation.
Two adults and one of the teens remain in custody pending the outcome of a hearing in Kenora on Friday. The others were released from custody and scheduled to attend court in Pikangikum on September 2, police said.
“Myself, council members, elders and community members are pleased that the incident has been resolved in a peaceful and decisive manner and those responsible have been held accountable,” Pikangikum Chief Paddy Peters said in a news release issued by police.
“It is important to note that the actions of a few do not reflect the community at large,” Peters said.
The protest began on June 27 after a Pikangikum police officer used a stun gun in the course of arresting a community member, according to OPP Sgt. Peter Leon.
Protesters threw rocks and caused “extensive damage” to the two-storey Ontario Provincial Police detachment and “left officers in a situation where they had to take up fortification,” Leon said.