Abbotsford Police used Chilliwack RCMP, the Integrated Road Safety Unit and a helicopter to help shut down a bush party Friday night that they say had grown to 500 people – and threatened to become even larger.
“As you can imagine, 500 young people, many of whom were heavily intoxicated, at 10:30 p.m. would have become a much larger crowd and much more difficult to handle” said Cst. Ian MacDonald, who said around 30 officers managed to disperse the party, which happened on the top of Majuba Hill.
“I think the circumstances at 1 a.m. would have been a lot different and a lot more challenging.”
Majuba Hill straddles the area where Abbotsford, Chilliwack and the U.S. border intersect. People anywhere between 15 and 25 years old were at the party, which was promoted on social media with the hashtag #projectchilliwack. Pictures from the event indicate plenty of rave music and red Solo cups, as the young people partied the night away in a makeshift cabin.
“I wouldn’t be comfortable as a parent having my teenager partying with adults,” said MacDonald. “Certainly in an environment that is challenging to get to because it’s so remote. It’s difficult for first responders if there’s a medical emergency or a large-scale fire.”
“More importantly, how can you safeguard 500 people when you have such a mix of range of ages?”
MacDonald says they were eventually able to disperse the group with no serious injuries.
“The only casualty to report was to one of our 4-by-4 patrol vehicles,” he said.
“Someone was not too thrilled about police being there and ruining the party, and they took out the back passenger window.”
Though somewhat predictably, the presence of police and a helicopter only added to the excitement of the occasion for some.
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