Police attend large car rally in Pickering

A large car meet in Pickering over the weekend had DRPS officers focusing on public safety.

Durham police attended the area of Brock Road and Kingston Road on Sunday, May 23 around 2 p.m. in response to the information of a planned car rally. Numerous vehicles began attending the parking lot and officers advised the attendees that the rally is in violation of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) and Reopening Ontario Act (ROA).

Throughout the afternoon, more vehicles continued to attend the area and Air1 was utilized in monitoring the situation.

Police say officers managed the situation with the primary goals of public safety, officer safety, and the safety of the surrounding roadways.

At 6:20 p.m., Air1 was utilized to assist traffic units with a separate situation and numerous officers were required to assist in this investigation.

At around 8 p.m., police say that was an estimate of more than 2,000 people and 1,000 vehicles. As additional resources were being requested for clearing out the crowd, there were reports of a male injured during a physical confrontation. The 26-year-old male sustained minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.

Officers had successfully cleared the crowd from the parking lot by 10 p.m.

Durham police are continuing to investigate the incidents and following up with violations of the EMCPA and ROA.

Members of the Traffic Services Branch monitored traffic surrounding the area and laid 54 Provincial Offence Notices.

Anyone with information about this event is asked to contact DRPS Cst. Lemanis at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1921.