Four men charged in connection with violent assault in Cambridge Bay
Arrests come at end of week when residents demanded action on alleged drug dealing
Police say they have made arrests in Cambridge Bay at the end of a week in which residents demanded action on what they said was alleged drug dealing activity. (File photo)
Police in Cambridge Bay have charged four men in connection with a violent assault in the hamlet that left two men hospitalized in Edmonton, following a week of havoc in the community caused by what residents said were alleged drug dealers.
The RCMP announced the charges Friday evening in a news release, confirming arrests had been made in relation to an early-morning incident on July 8 when officers responded to a report around 4 a.m. that two men had been assaulted and were being treated at the health centre.
Family members told Nunatsiaq News that Nathan Angulalik, 28, and Angus Kaosoni, who is in his 20s, had been tied up, beaten and burned with boiling water. Angulalik’s mother described the attackers as a group of four alleged drug dealers. That happened around 2 a.m., she said.
The men were later medevaced to Edmonton for treatment of their injuries, family members said.
A preliminary investigation conducted by RCMP this week revealed two men were assaulted by two male suspects who were known to them. The suspects used a weapon in a residence on Tuktu street, the release said.
Police did not specify what kind of weapon was used, but Angulalik’s mother said on Facebook earlier this week that hammers, shovels and a wrench were used against her son.
Earlier in the week, volunteer firefighter and former mayor Derek Elias told Nunatsiaq News residents believed the suspects were hanging out in cabins on the outskirts of the hamlet.
RCMP identified and arrested four suspects on Thursday, with assistance from the General Investigative Section in Iqaluit, the release said.
Hadi Alhashesh, 19, of Chilliwack, B.C., Ly Gabriel Galido, 22, of Edmonton, Alta., and Ayaan Kamran Warsi, 18, also of Edmonton, are facing multiple charges, including two counts of aggravated assault, forcible confinement, robbery with a firearm, and trafficking a controlled substance.
All three remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in court in Iqaluit on July 29.
A fourth man, 19-year-old Joshua MacPherson of Cambridge Bay, is charged with two counts of assault. He was released and is scheduled to appear in court in Cambridge Bay on Sept. 8.
The investigation is ongoing, the release said.
RCMP are asking anyone with information to contact the Cambridge Bay detachment at 867-983-0123. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
They should do the same in Arviat .
they should start screening in southern gateway hubs coming north , too much alcohol and drugs coming north in carry on baggage , only oversize containers or luggage is screened , a disaster waiting to happen in the air , suppose a crazed person gets on a plane going north ? carrying a sidearm ! you get the picture.. how you think hard drugs get up north ? someone carry it on in an unchecked bag ! many people carry-on heavy bags into the planes going north , could be anything in ones bag from ammo to plastic you know what , a gateway for organized terrorists .
I am so thankful that I moved out of this community before things ever got this bad. It was a decent, though troubled, place when I lived there, and it’s since descended into chaos.