The North Vancouver RCMP says that it has seized a machete from a youth on Saturday.
According to police, officers responded to calls about 40 youth gathering near Lynn Valley and causing a disturbance, in which one person was assaulted by a single suspect among the crowd.
When officers located the suspect, they found and seized a “large machete.”
The suspect, however, fled the scene before he could be arrested.
“The identity of the suspect is still unknown, and the investigation is ongoing,” Cpl. Mansoor Sahak said.
The victim “was not seriously injured.”
Police add that the incident occurred within the context of high school graduation parties in which youth were reportedly “openly consuming alcohol at parks and school grounds, setting off fireworks, engaging in fights, throwing beer cans, and setting fires.”
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Sahak adds that students should expect to be held responsible for their actions during these events.
“We urge parents to have open and honest conversations with their teens about how to make good choices, and the possible outcomes and consequences of poor decisions,” he said.
Earlier this month, the West Vancouver Police Department (WVPD) responded to a similar incident when officers broke up a large gathering of about 1,500 youth in Ambleside.
“Putting public safety at risk, an Unlawful Assembly was declared near 1 a.m., and West Vancouver Police Officers advised the group to disperse. Over the next several hours, WVPD cleared the Ambleside beach and business areas and remained on scene to deal with remaining participants until 5 a.m.,” police said.