 The Police riot squad stand by a turned over police car after a riot broke out in Downtown Vancouver overnight when the Canucks lost to the Boston Bruin in the Stanley Cup Final. June 15, 2011. (QMI Agency/CARMINE MARINELLI)
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VANCOUVER - A Stanley Cup rioter who broke into two downtown stores multiple times over the course of June 15, 2011, was handed a six-month conditional sentence and two years' probation on Tuesday.
Video evidence of Alexander Pennington presented in court showed the 22-year-old repeatedly entering The Bay on Seymour Street, where he pulled tables and ad banners from a display case.
An unidentified man then tossed a table, which deflected off a car and hit another man’s head. Pennington later threw a banner into a burning vehicle.
“His actions fueled the flames and encouraged others,” Crown lawyer Rosanne Sinclair told the court.
The Burnaby, B.C., man, who was sporting dyed-blond hair with rainbow streaks, also broke into the London Drugs on Granville St. on two separate occasions to steal perfume.
The sound of rioters pounding against the store’s glass windows could be heard in the background of a 911 call played in court. The recording featured a London Drugs worker explaining to an operator that terrified employees were taking shelter in a basement security room.
Meanwhile, the Crown approved riot charges against 11 more adults Tuesday. Charges include break-and-enter, assault and possession of a dangerous weapon.
