Toronto police say at least $600,000 in damages was caused by anti-G20 summit protesters in Toronto.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
A 25-year-old Massachusetts resident charged with mischief in the G20 Summit debacle three years ago has been arrested, held in custody for three days, released on bail and allowed to return home while his case proceeds.
That leaves four other Americans awaiting a first Toronto court appearance – two currently in custody in Arizona and Pennsylvania; one free on bail in New York City; and a fourth man, also believed to be in Pennsylvania, exact whereabouts unknown.
Quinn McCormic, a Boston architect, allegedly doubled as part of a street mob deploying the "black bloc" tactic, making it hard to identify individuals because they are all dressed alike. He is accused of causing more than $125,000 worth of damage during the June, 2010 summit, when rioters smashed and burned property in the downtown core, and police followed up the biggest mass arrest in Canadian history.
Mr. McCormic was arrested at Pearson airport last Friday after he flew in voluntarily, waiving the extradition hearing normally needed. Detective Sergeant Gary Giroux of Toronto police, who heads the long-running roundup of accused miscreants, is pleased that he did. "The biggest problem we've had is the affidavits required for extradition, which are quite debilitating and voluminous, and have to go through a series of approvals," he said. "There's five (American accused) altogether."
The allegedly masked, black-clad five are accused of taking a lead role in the riots, which saw police cars burned and dozens of windows shattered as protests from thousands of anti-G20 activists spiralled out of control, culminating in allegations of wholesale violations of civil-rights violations and excessive police force after more than 1,100 people were arrested, most on minor charges.
The five were identified through a range of investigative techniques. The most important involved examining tens of thousands of images captured during the mayhem (many of them sent to police by members of the public), painstakingly matching faces to possible names, and then dispatching inquiries to law-enforcement agencies in the United States.
The other four on Det. Sgt. Giroux's list are Dane Rossman, in custody in Tucson; Richard Dean Moreno, being held in Pennsylvania; Joel Bitar of New York, free on a $500,000 bond after being picked up by police; and Kevin Chianella, who faces dozens of mischief-related charges and is thought to be in Pennsylvania.
After a court appearance Monday, Mr. McCormic was freed on $8,000 cash bail, plus a $30,000 surety from his father, with conditions that include a prohibition on joining any demonstrations in Canada.
He is charged with three counts of mischief, and one of wearing a disguise with intent.