Police chief in London, Ont., vows to catch the 'swatter' targeting Twitch trans activist
CBC
The police chief in London, Ont., has weighed in again about the controversial arrest of a transgender activist, saying she was a victim of swatting and vowing to find the person responsible for targeting her.
Chief Steve Williams said a criminal investigation is underway into the origins of emails sent to city officials on Aug. 5, prompting "a deliberate attempt by a third part to place suspicion" on Clara Sorrenti.
Sorrenti, 28, is known as Keffals to her large following on the video-streaming platform Twitch.
"As this investigation will be complex, and may potentially involve multiple jurisdictions, it will take some time," Williams wrote in a statement Thursday night.
He confirmed the London Police Service received two calls to 911 on Aug. 5, the first saying Sorrenti was threatening to attend city hall to shoot people.
"A short time later, we received a second 911 call questioning when officers would arrive," the police chief wrote. "Threats of this nature are taken seriously by police, as I believe the public expects they would be."
Days earlier, Sorrenti was contacted by Toronto police, who had also received calls of a similar nature. They determined the activist and social media influencer was being "swatted" by someone calling police with false information with the intention of instigating an arrest.
Sorrenti has said police came to her house a week ago, arrested her at gunpoint and detained her for 11 hours.
The chief acknowledged this caused Sorrenti distress, to have heavily armed officers enter her house. But he added that officers did not force their way into her home — a tactic sometimes called a "dynamic entry" — and insists they knocked on the door.
He said Sorrenti was co-operative, but was arrested for uttering threats based on information police had at that time.
Williams also addressed the criticism that police used the name and gender assigned to Sorrenti at birth during her arrest, referred to as a "dead name" by trans people. Sorrenti has told CBC News she has not used the name and gender for more than a decade.
"While I cannot confirm any conversations which might have transpired during Ms. Sorrenti's initial arrest, activity in our holding cells is monitored by audio and video equipment. At no time while she was in our holding cells did members of our police service address Ms. Sorrenti by her dead name and gender," Williams said.
Bags that held her belongings while she was in custody were labelled with her former name, which Williams said was in the system as a result of previous police reports.
Williams said he has reached out to Sorrenti to discuss the incident and made her aware of how she can file a complaint, if she wants to.
The province and district social services administration boards say plans are in place to ensure people on social assistance do not miss out on benefits as a result of the strike by Canada Post employees.
Near the exit to Truro, N.S., a cluster of colorful tents and a lone RV can be seen alongside Highway 102, some tucked under the overpass for shelter from the elements.
Police and Public Trust, a project of the CBC News Atlantic investigative unit, scrutinizes the largely off-limits police complaint and discipline systems across the region. Journalists are using access to information laws and, in some cases, court challenges to obtain discipline records and data.
Toronto police have arrested a GTA woman who they allege scammed dozens of Taylor Swift fans out of more than $70,000 by promising them tickets that never materialized.
Montreal was, in years past, considered a haven for renters. But those days are long gone.
WARNING: This story details violent events surrounding a fatal police shooting.
It took Gordon Frentz over 14 hours to drive through the snow from Grande Prairie, Alta., this past weekend to compete at this year's Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
The coroner's inquest into the drug-related deaths of six men in custody at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre will revisit 2018 recommendations relating to eight other inmate deaths to determine what's been done to implement them, the inquest's lawyer said Monday on the first day of hearings.
Emily Walstrom was expecting to lay her father to rest this month, but instead, she says his cremated remains are stuck in a Canada Post facility in B.C., delayed by the ongoing national postal strike.
A Friday night fire hasn't caused any impact to operations at the Dryden mill, the company said.
With around 55,000 Canada Post workers on strike since Nov.15 and no deal in sight, Toronto businesses say they're gearing up for a tough holiday season.