Vancouver police have recommended charges against 60 people involved in the Stanley Cup riot, including four from Maple Ridge.
Chief Jim Chu announced Monday police have recommended Crown charge all 60 with participating in a riot along with other charges of mischief, assault, and break-and-enter.
The charges come four and a half months after the June 15 rampage that erupted after the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals to the Boston Bruins.
"The Integrated Riot Investigation Team, made up of eight police agencies, has done an incredible job handling the largest investigation in our city’s history. It’s been daunting, time-consuming and exhaustive. But we knew it would be," said Chu.
Crown must still review the cases and approve laying the charges.
The Integrated Riot Investigation Team examined more than 5,000 hours of video to build the cases, but has been criticized for failing to recommend charges sooner, especially against the rioters who confessed.
"Over the past few months, there have been those who told us that our decision to be thorough was wrong. They urged us to rush cases to court," said Chu.
"But we believe the public expects more from the police. We believe the community supports the independence of the police and our professional judgement to conduct thorough investigations, not cut corners in order to satisfy the vocal criticisms of a few."
Police have not named the 60 people who face charges and have not revealed if Maple Ridge teenager Nathan Kotylak, who confessed on TV, is among them.
Kotylak, who was 17 at the time, was caught on camera trying to light a police car on fire, setting a garbage can on fire, and smacking a girl on her breasts.
The now-suspended junior national water polo player was first outed online through Facebook by people who recognized him.
He made a tearful public apology two days after the riot and chose to waive the protection afforded to him as a young offender.
Besides the four alleged rioters from Maple Ridge, 21 are from Surrey, while 12 are from Vancouver, nine are from Burnaby. Two each are from Abbotsford and Delta, while one each is from Richmond, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Langley, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Victoria, Courtenay, West Kelowna and Seattle.
In numbers:
• Average age is 21 years old;
• The youngest male is 16, the oldest, 52;
• The youngest female is 17 and the oldest female is 22;
• The most charges recommended against one individual – 10;
Top three most common charges being recommended:
• participating in a riot - 60;
• mischief - 41 ;
• break and enter - 35.