Cop Accused In GUNS N' ROSES Riot Says He Used Fist, Not His Baton

May 20, 2004

CBC is reporting that a Vancouver police officer accused of using excessive force during the GUNS N' ROSES riot in November 2002 has taken the stand at the police complaints commission inquiry.

Const. Reg Forster is one of two officers who were videotaped (Real Media) striking people with their batons during the altercation.

Forster showed little emotion as he watched a video (Real Media) of himself striking two men with his baton in two separate incidents.

In one case, the video was enhanced, and in slow motion, showed him using both hands to drive a baton into Robert Parent's face.

Forster told the hearing he and another officer were called to GM Place to deal with GUNS N' ROSES fans rampaging after the concert was cancelled.

He said he was scared what might happen if the surging crowd ever got inside the building — and he described using pepper spray to stop people from smashing doors and windows.

"I've been involved in a riot before," he testified. "I know how vulnerable you can be, how things can go wrong in that situation." [Read more]

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).