Charges withdrawn in Stanley Cup riot case

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – This is exactly what the Vancouver Police Department was hoping didn’t happen, but then it did.  Charges have been dropped against a man wrongly accused of weapons possession during the Stanley Cup riot four months ago.

When officers saw Joshua Evans he had a knife in one hand and was holding down a man with the other.

He was charged, but after looking at further evidence, the VPD and Crown Counsel said there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue the charges.  His friends told the Vancouver Sun he actually disarmed the man and was holding him until cops got there.

News1130 Legal Analyst Michael Shapray says this is exactly what police wanted to avoid, laying charges too early and then having to retract them.  “There was no evidence to proceed with charges.  I’m not surprised, I guess the question is did they rush to charge this person in a knee-jerk reaction?”

He explains that’s why Chief Jim Chu has repeatedly said the force will wait to recommend any charges and why Crown Counsel will have to really weed through every case.  “They are going to ensure they’ve got strong cases when they lay the charges.  There won’t be further investigations that lead to additional evidence being uncovered that will result in the dropping of charges.”

Shapray adds it’s unlikely Evans will sue police or the province for damages because he wasn’t wrongfully convicted and the charges were withdrawn.  Up to 40 rioters are expected to be charged by Halloween.

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