

Chris Fox, CP24.com





Hamilton police have arrested three more people and issued warrants for three others in connection with a March vandalism spree along a popular downtown street.

A mob of about 30 people dressed in black and wearing masks caused an estimated $100,000 in damages to businesses, homes and vehicles along Locke Street on the night of March 3.

The vandals, some of who were carrying a sign that read ‘We Are The Ungovernables,’ reportedly set off smoke bombs and fireworks and threw rocks at storefront windows as they made their way along the street.

Police have previously said that the vandalism spree may have been related to an anarchist book fair that was taking place in the city that weekend. At a news conference on Friday, police also added that they believe that all of the suspects identified so far have some sort of connection with The Tower, which they described as an anarchist collective and event space in Hamilton.

The only other arrest made to date came in April when police took the 31-year-old operator of The Tower into custody and charged him with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

“There was approximately 30 people on the street, so we now have identified seven and are hoping for 23 more,” Deputy Chief Dan Kinsella told reporters on Friday. “We will continue to exhaust every investigative technique to identify those individuals and bring them to justice.”

All but one suspect resided in Hamilton

Two of the three suspects taken into custody this week resided in Hamilton while the third was from Montreal and was arrested by authorities there.

Kinsella said that the arrests would not have been possible without information and surveillance footage that was provided to investigators by members of the community in the days and weeks following the vandalism spree.

“I would encourage the public to continue to supply the appropriate and important information that they have so far so we can further this investigation and bring others who are responsible but have not yet been identified before the courts to face justice,” he said.

Police investigating whether other incidents of mischief could be related

As part of the wider investigation into the vandalism spree, Kinsella said that police will also probe a number of other mischief-related incidents in the city prior to and following March 3.

Those incidents include mischief at Embridge sites in Flamborough and Ancaster, vandalism that took place at a TD Bank on James Street and an assault that occurred at an event to promote investment in Hamilton, he said.

“What we believe is that these are similar acts, a similar type of criminality, not necessarily the same people but somebody did them,” he said.

The three individuals arrested this week are identified as Jack Duckworth, 23, Tammy Kovich, 32, and Tyler Nadeau, 26.

The three outstanding suspects are Alexander Balch, 34, Matthew Lowell-Pelletier, 31, and David Prychitka, 34.

The suspects are facing a range of charges, including mischief over $5,000 and unlawful assembly while masked.

Kinsella said that police decided to release names and photos of the outstanding suspects only after “exhausting” all other avenues to apprehend them.

“We encourage these wanted individuals to turn themselves into Hamilton police,” he said.