Most wanted: VPD reveal their top suspects from Vancouver's Lil Baby riot

Vancouver Police Department

After Lil Baby was a no-show at the Breakout Festival this summer, a riot broke out at the PNE Amphitheatre and caused more than $300,000 in damage.

Now, Vancouver Police are asking the public for help identifying the 10 most-wanted suspects.

Inspector Dale Weidman, officer in charge of VPD’s Major Crime Section, said in a release that they “promised to do everything we could to identify the people responsible for destroying property and putting other concert-goers in danger.”

In the last six weeks, they’ve looked through tips and video footage and identified 10 most-wanted suspects.

“Now, we’re asking for your help to identify these suspects so we can continue to hold them accountable,” he said.

During a media briefing on Tuesday, Weidman added that staff “really got traumatized” from the experience.

After the last-minute headline act cancellation on September 18, concertgoers “destroyed food kiosks, overturned tables, climbed light fixtures, and sparked fights throughout the PNE grounds and surrounding neighbourhoods,” said the VPD.

VPD

These photos and more are all now posted on the VPD’s website for the public to help identify. As the investigation continues, more photos of additional suspects will be shared.

“These pictures represent our top 10 suspects – those who engaged in some of the most dangerous and destructive behaviour,” said Weidman.

“Every single one of these photos could represent a classmate, a friend, neighbour, or a family member. If you recognize one of these people, we ask you to visit [the VPD website] and use our online form to submit a tip. If you’re one of the people in these photos, or you’re worried that embarrassing pictures of you could be released in the future, it’s not too late to come forward.”

At Tuesday’s media briefing, Weidman also shared that these suspects were declared as the top 10 due to the nature of their offences related to mischief. He said that penalties for a mischief charge vary based on a person’s previous criminal background.

He also made some comparisons to the Stanley Cup riot in 2011, suggesting that similar techniques were used to identify the suspects.

The VPD is also looking into potential assaults that occurred during the riot, but they said the details couldn’t be revealed due to the nature of the ongoing investigation.

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