Police in Langley, B.C., say they had to use pepper spray and a Taser as they dealt with an "unruly" crowd of young people at an illegal street racing event in the city Friday night.
Langley RCMP say an officer responding to a call on Gloucester Way arrived to find a crowd of around 200 young people allegedly in the area to "participate in illegal street racing and stunting."
Mounties say the officer wrote violation tickets and was having a vehicle towed when the crowd allegedly "became unruly," and they allege a 16-year-old male tried to obstruct the officer, who had also called for backup.
Police say they had to use a Taser on the teen, and a group of others then allegedly tried to interfere with his arrest, leading to officers using pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
They say people in the crowd managed to free the suspect from a police vehicle, but he was later found by a police dog, and he's now up on charges for allegedly assaulting an officer.
Supt. Harm Dosange, who heads the Langley RCMP detachment, says the altercation was "deeply troubling" and that there will be more police patrols and traffic enforcement in the area because street racers pose a "significant risk" to the public and police.