The father of a teenage boy found unresponsive at Samuel Robertson Technical School on Halloween night is crediting a police officer with saving his son’s life.
Matt Carroll said he was the first to arrive at the hospital after his 14-year-old son was taken there and met the officer, who he said was visibly shaken by what had happened.
Carroll said his son had been drinking alcohol with friends and visited Planet Ice, where he may have gotten sick. They then went to SRT, off 104th Avenue in Albion, where about 100 teens had gathered.
Carroll is not certain of the events that occurred there, but has spoken to his son and several witnesses.
He agrees his son was involved in some sort of physical altercation and was struck behind the ear and on top of his head.
Carroll clarified, however, that his son had been in a separate altercation at school recently, which resulted in him breaking his wrist. Carroll said his son refused to wear a cast.
On Halloween, Carroll said, his son “did take some hits” at SRT.
Witnesses told him that some kids were huffing helium.
Witnesses saw his son staggering, after getting hit, that he gasped for air and his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness. Someone may have helped him to the ground. Some called 911. Another ran to get a police officer and said someone had died.
The officer told Carroll that his son was unresponsive at first and that he performed CPR on him. The officer resuscitated him, then handed him over to paramedics. The officer called Carroll, then accompanied his son to the hospital.
Carroll said his son’s blood alcohol level was recorded at the hospital at .22.
Carroll said the officer saved his son’s life.
“Absolutely.”
Carroll is separated from his son’s mother, Alicia Lansdell, who maintains that her son was assaulted. She said he has a concussion, as well as bruising behind his ear and down his neck. She said his wrist was re-broken on Halloween night.
She also said a drug test was done at the hospital and came back negative, and did not hear any reports of helium use by any youth.
She was upset police were not pursuing assault charges, but later obtained a file number.
Ridge Meadows RCMP have reopened their investigation.
“We are investigating allegations of an assault,” Sgt. Brenda Gresiuk said Friday.
She added it is common for police to reopen an investigation when new information comes forward, as it has in this case.
She previously confirmed that police dispersed a large group of youths who were setting off fireworks by SRT on Halloween night, and that no one was arrested.
There was a similar large gathering of youth at the school on Halloween night 2017, with reports of a group as large as 150 laughing and throwing firecrackers.