Red Deer RCMP have laid criminal charges after reviewing witness statements and dozens of videos collected after a Sept. 20 anti-racism rally at Rotary Recreation Park.
Trevor Lyle Roy, 42, of Penhold, has been charged with assault and is scheduled to appear in Red Deer provincial court on Nov. 17.
Police say they are investigating three incidents connected with the rally.
In the first incident, a disturbance occurred between two groups as demonstrators set up for their event, say police. The clash took place before police arrived, but has resulted in charges against Roy.
The second incident was caught on video and police say officers were quick to separate the two parties.
Charges of assault with a weapon stem from the altercation, but the name of the accused cannot be released until the paperwork is formally filed.
A third incident, also supported by video evidence, was uncovered by the RCMP investigation, and charges are still being contemplated.
Police say they are continuing to review all the video evidence in their possession in an effort to uncover any other criminal acts that may have taken place at the Sept. 20 event.
Red Deer RCMP Supt. Gerald Grobmeier said earlier that police were prepared for the event with 16 officers, but both groups arrived earlier than expected.
“We did have our analysts monitoring social media and we did plan for it,” he said in the days after the rally.
“We always do … just to see what the chatter might be.”