Three men were arrested after refusing to wear masks on a crowded evening sailing of the Spirit of Vancouver Island last week.
The men, who are in their late teens and early twenties, were on the 7 p.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on Sept. 24, Sidney-North Saanich RCMP Cpl. Andres Sanchez said Friday.
Officers boarded the ferry when the vessel docked at 8:35 p.m. and arrested the trio, who were in their car on the car deck. The men were taken to the detachment and released on a promise to appear in court on mischief charges in late December. Officers are continuing to investigate and gathering evidence to determine if charges of assault and uttering threats are warranted, said Sanchez.
The incident began when nearby passengers politely asked the men to put on their masks, which are required on B.C. Ferries, said Sanchez.
“And I think it escalated from that point. They were quite aggressive right off the bat and threatened to fight the passengers. The crew was called to the scene and asked them politely to put on their masks. They refused and became aggressive towards staff on the ferry,” said Sanchez. “Once the chief steward arrived and told them police were on their way to meet the ferry, they went down to the car deck.”
The provincial mandates are in place to protect the public and police take these incidents seriously, said the officer.
“These three men took it upon themselves to put others’ health at risk by refusing to wear the masks on a crowded voyage and when confronted on their behaviour, threatened others,” said Sanchez.
Sidney-North Saanich RCMP has responded to other incidents on ferries where people have refused to wear masks, he said, but this is the first where people have become aggressive and threats have been made. “In previous incidents, the crew has been able to deal with it and police have intervened, but nothing of this scope,” said Sanchez.
