Durham Regional Police say more than 2,000 people and 1,000 vehicles are estimated to have been at a car meet in Pickering on Sunday despite ongoing COVID-19 stay-home regulations.
In a news release issued Tuesday, police said officers went to the area of Brock and Kingston roads at 2 p.m. in response to information of a planned rally.
Police said vehicles started showing up and officers told attendees that the event was in violation of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) and Reopening Ontario Act (ROA).
Under current COVID-19 restrictions, outdoor gatherings are limited to a maximum of five people.
Despite that, the news release said more people and vehicles continued to show up.
Durham police used their Air1 helicopter to monitor the situation until it was used to respond to a separate call at 6:20 p.m.
“Officers managed the situation with the primary goals of public safety, officer safety, and the safety of the surrounding roadways,” the news release said.
Police said at around 8 p.m., they estimated there to be more than 2,000 people and 1,000 vehicles.
More resources were being requested to help clear the crowd when there were reports of a man injured during a “physical confrontation,” police said.
The 26-year-old was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The crowd was finally cleared out around 10 p.m., police said.
Officers issued 54 provincial offence notices, but it wasn’t clear how many of those were either for traffic violations or breaking provincial COVID-19 restrictions.
Police said they’re continuing to investigate and follow up with violations of the EMCPA and ROA.
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