Surrey resident only second rioter to plead guilty

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Another person has pleaded guilty to taking part in last summer’s Stanley Cup riot.

The plea was made Friday by a person who is not from Vancouver.

“A 19-year-old Surrey resident by the name of Emmanuel Alviar pleaded guilty to rioting and will be sentenced May 3,” says Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Insp. Les Yeo.

Alviar is only the second person to plead guilty out of the 150 people accused by Vancouver Police. The first, Ryan Dickinson, received a 17-month sentence in February.

An 18-year-old from Surrey also pleaded guilty last year to possessing clothing stolen from a store during the riot, but it was not connected to the VPD’s riot investigation, and he was not accused of participating in the riot itself. Karanvir Singh Saran’s case was handled by Surrey RCMP, and he received an absolute discharge after that plea.

Eighty-four per cent of suspected offenders are from outside Vancouver proper.

To date, 432 charges have been recommended by Vancouver Police but only about 40 per cent of those have been approved.

Yeo says he is not let down by that number. With 150 people now accused by police, he says their thorough work is paying off.

“The more important thing is to make sure we hold people accountable,” he says.  “Whether it takes three months, six months, nine months or a year, we will hold people accountable for what they did.”

Another poster campaign has also been launched, aiming to direct you to the VPD’s riot website. Around the city, you can find posters with smart phone QR codes decorating bus stops.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today