Police are also warning the public to keep their belongings secure and out of sight. Photo Credit: Hamilton Police Service
Hamilton Police Service (HPS) will have an “increased police presence” at upcoming fall fairs after the seizure of a loaded firearm at the Winona Peach Festival on Aug. 24.
Police say that officers were on patrol at the festival at 9:20 p.m. when they “observed a disturbance break out near the midway between two males.”
Police add that the area was “filled with hundreds of people, including children and families” at the time of the incident.
A bystander alerted HPS that one of the males had a firearm and police quickly made an arrest and seized a loaded gun, a high-capacity magazine, and ammunition.
HPS says that the incident “could have been a significant tragedy.”
The suspect in the firearm incident was later identified as Devontae Trevon Sutherland, 23, of Toronto.
A group of four males also attacked another male with a baseball bat near the festival in a separate incident at 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 24.
As a result, HPS says that they will have an “increased police presence” at upcoming events such as the Binbrook Fall Fair from Sept. 12 to 15, the Ancaster Fair from Sept. 19 to 22, and Rockton World’s Fair from Oct. 11 to 14.
Police are also warning the public to keep their belongings secure and out of sight at festivals and to be aware of the surroundings.
A similar public advisory was issued in 2023 after an uptick in youth-related robberies and swarming incidents at community festivals and fairs.
There was a robbery at the Festival of Friends at Gage Park in August 2023, “various physical altercations” at the 2023 Winona Peach Festival, a physical altercation at the 2023 Binbrook Fall Fair, and “multiple swarmings” at the 2023 Ancaster Fair.
Swarmings typically involve a group of people surrounding a victim/victims and either robbing or hurting them.
Jeff Beattie, who serves as City Councillor for Hamilton’s Ward 10 (Stoney Creek – Fruitland – Winona), told The Hamilton Independent that this year’s firearm incident at the Winona Peach Festival was “a shock to both myself and my community.”
He says he worries that the incident might “tarnish the image or reputation” of the festival.
“By all other measures, the festival was an overwhelming success.”
“The festival is one of the top family events in Ontario, and I’m committed to working with all involved to ensure this continues,” he added.
Beattie previously served on the Winona Peach Festival Board and has been a volunteer at the event for nearly 30 years.
He said he met with organizers and Police Command at the Winona Park grounds the morning after the festival concluded to discuss what occurred.
He explained that they have “begun to work on plans to ensure incidents like the ones our community experienced will not be repeated,” although he notes “it would be premature to speculate on what those might be.”
Nevertheless, he says that the incident “is unfortunately a symptom of a growing trend that is not just being seen in Hamilton, but basically everywhere.”
“Gun-related calls for police appear to be on the rise.”
He notes that the only influence Council has over police is when it comes to the approval of HPS’s annual budget, to which he added, “My community specifically has asked, and continues to ask, for an increased police presence and I will continue to support making that happen.”
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
