Four adult males are facing charges after police investigation into alleged assaults and damage last Thursday.
On Thursday, April 30, 2020, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Regina Police Service members were dispatched to 9th Avenue North for a report that the public roadway was completely blocked by vehicles. The responding officer requested the assistance of other police officers and vehicles for traffic control. By approximately 8:00 p.m., the roadway was clear of traffic, except for a few vehicles parked near one of the gates to the Co-op Refinery Complex. As officers approached, it was clear some sort of confrontation had occurred. One adult male had minor abrasions. Due to conflicting accounts of what had occurred, police did not lay charges at the time, but opened an investigation. The roadway was opened again to traffic at approximately 8:30 p.m. In the course of the investigation, evidence was obtained that led to the arrest of four adult males, on May 4th, who were charged and released for a future court date.
Twenty-nine year-old James John MOHNS, and 50 year-old Ward Robert JOHNSON, both of Regina, are individually charged with Common Assault, section 266 of the Criminal Code (CC).
Forty-one year-old Kristopher James ATKINSON, of Emerald Park, SK, is facing two charges of Common Assault, section 266 CC.
Thirty-seven year-old Joseph William DULONG, of Regina has been charged with Mischief under $5,000, section 430(4) CC.
All four males were released with a court date in Provincial Court on July 20, 2020.
At the time these individuals were being processed at Regina Police Service Headquarters and released, there was a continuous procession of vehicles circling the 1700 block of Osler Street, the RPS Headquarters building. It appeared to be a protest, with vehicles moving slowly, sometimes coming to a complete stop. In the initial stages, the Regina Police Service took a tempered approach to the procession of vehicles, but when the activity carried on to the point that it was impeding entrance to, and egress from, the police compound, the risk to public safety became apparent. Police vehicles, like any other emergency service, must be able to enter and leave their premises without delay, in an emergency. Traffic safety officers issued eleven (11) tickets for participation in an illegal procession and one ticket under the Traffic Safety Act for an unsafe turn from the wrong lane. The procession dispersed at approximately 4:00 p.m. At approximately 5:00 p.m., a similar procession occurred on 9th Avenue North. In response to public complaints and the potential public safety issue posed by a roadway blocked to emergency vehicles (Police, Fire and EMS), police blocked the roadway on 9th Avenue North until all the vehicles associated to the procession had dispersed. Seven more tickets were issued at that location.