Over 100 Arrested in Vancouver for Rioting After Stanley Cup

(NewsCore) - Vancouver's police chief said Thursday close to 100 arrests were made in Wednesday night's riots that left four people seriously injured following the Canucks' Game 7 Stanley Cup loss to the Boston Bruins.

Angry fans took to the streets -- brawling, looting, setting fire to cars and scuffling with police -- after the Bruins hoisted the Stanley Cup Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre after a 4-0 drubbing of the Canucks.

According to hospital officials, two people suffered serious injuries after being stabbed, one was seriously hurt in a fall, and another was hospitalized in a reduced state of consciousness, Canada's CBC reported.

In all, about 140 people were treated for less serious injuries at St. Paul's and Vancouver General hospitals. Some suffered the effects of tear gas and pepper spray used by riot police, while others reported facial and head injuries.

Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu said nine police officers were injured. He said one was hit in the head by a brick, and others were bitten by rioters.

The city undertook a massive cleanup effort Thursday as broken glass and trash littered the downtown area. Repair crews went to work repairing the windows of dozens of businesses smashed by the rioters.

Many residents reportedly showed up to volunteer in the cleanup. Dozens of vehicles, including at least two police cars, were set ablaze, but by morning most had reportedly been cleared away.

Vancouver saw similar riots in 1994 when the Canucks lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the New York Rangers. But this time, the looting was described as far worse.

"We never saw the sort of looting in '94 that we did this time," said a CTV reporter on the scene. "We saw scores of people just racing into stores and coming out with armloads, armloads of electronics -- iPods and gold watches, we saw go by, and perfume. Anything in the major stores' display windows was gone."

Some of the businesses hardest hit were a Hudson's Bay clothing store, a Sears location, a drug store, a Bank of Montreal branch, a Chapters book store, a car rental agency, and a Future Shop electronics store, according to CBC.

The CEO of London Drugs, Wynne Powell, estimated it would cost around $1 million to repair the damage done by the mobs to the one store.

"The first floor of the store was hit hard which included food, housewares and cosmetics products. There was also significant theft on the second floor of the store which includes a vast amount of cameras, computer and electronic technology products," said Powell in a statement.

Live television footage Wednesday night showed mobs rioting in downtown Vancouver as a massive fire raged and police rushed to regain control of the streets. Some reports estimated there were up to 100,000 people around the arena following the game.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson released a statement, blaming a small number of people for the violence.

"Vancouver is a world-class city and it is embarrassing and shameful to see the type of violence and disorder we've seen tonight," Robertson said. "It is unfortunate that a small number of people intent on criminal activity have turned pockets of the downtown into areas involving destruction of property and confrontations with police."

Robertson disagreed with suggestions that the police were too slow to respond or unprepared to deal with the crowd. He said the rioters arrived with a plan and knew what they wanted to do.

"They had a game plan that they carried out and it was very difficult to contain. This group was mobile. They split up. They had tools to start fires."

Hundreds of photos of the ugly scene turned up Thursday, with many offering police a clear look at some of the perpetrators.

Chu encouraged people to send in photos and videos of the riots to help with the investigation, adding police have already received 120 tips.

Read more: CBC