By Clare Ogilvie
Police have identified 10 suspects in the two pipe bomb
explosions that rocked Pemberton last week.
In two separate incidents organized by the same group of youths
Halloween fireworks were bundled together into PVC pipe, capped and then
detonated. On Monday night, Oct. 23, one was placed inside a port-a-poti and on
Tuesday night, Oct. 24, another was placed in a metal garbage bin.
“I heard the explosion from my home,” said RCMP Cpl. Paul Vadik
who has identified 10 suspects in the bombings.
“Bombs go off in Iraq, they don’t go off in Pemberton.
“Just imagine you are driving along the highway in Pemberton
and all of a sudden you hear this huge bang and these metal objects hit your
car and you jerk the wheel and are in a head on collision, that’s the what if’s
we are talking about here.”
The explosions were so violent, said Vadik, that metal from the
garbage can flew out onto the highway. Debris was located 65 feet away.
“People jog there, they walk their babies,” said Vadik.
The 10 suspects will take part in a restorative justice process
rather than go through the court system. They will have to pay restitution,
apologize to Pemberton’s mayor, council and other community members. They will
also have to do community service.
“They are all good kids but they exercised very poor judgment
and now they are going to pay,” said Vadik, adding that he was surprised to
learn of youths taking these kind of risks with Halloween fireworks.
“It is not like the message isn’t delivered every year, but kids say ‘well it won’t happen to me,’ or ‘let’s try it’ or ‘we can get away with it.’”