Large and "hostile" crowd gathered downtown on Halloween night; Officers didn't issue tickets because of safety concerns

Vancouver police say a large and ``hostile'' crowd gathered downtown on Halloween night despite COVID-19 restrictions, but officers didn't issue tickets because of safety concerns.

Police say in a news release officers were called to the Granville entertainment district Saturday night when a growing crowd of people weren't paying attention to physical distancing rules.

It says officers stopped a Range Rover for a traffic violation and those inside ``swarmed'' the police.

When the crowd grew to about 30 people, the officers called for backup.

Police say one man was arrested for jumping on the hood of a police vehicle.

A rear passenger side window was smashed on another police vehicle and an arrest has not been made in that incident.