A 29-year-old Peterborough man is facing a mischief charge after a downtown restaurant window was smashed early Sunday morning, an incident that also prompted a detailed public explanation from police about delayed response times due to competing emergency calls.
Peterborough Police say officers were called at approximately 2:35 a.m. on June 7, after reports that a restaurant storefront window had been broken in the downtown core. The owners of La Mesita on George Street later posted the incident involved their establishment.
Investigators used video evidence, including police CCTV footage, to identify a suspect. Police allege the man had been removed from a nearby establishment shortly before the incident and later walked past the restaurant, where he struck and shattered the window with his fist before continuing on.
The suspect was located later in the day and, at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, turned himself in to police after becoming aware officers were looking for him. He was arrested and charged with mischief under $5,000.
He was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date. The charge has not been tested in court.
In a public statement, Chief Stuart Betts of the Peterborough Police Service addressed online criticism regarding the response to the call, acknowledging frustration but outlining the operational pressures facing officers at the time.
Betts said that when the call came in, police were already responding to or queued on 12 other active incidents across the city, including a mental health crisis involving a person threatening self-harm on a bridge, an intimate partner violence arrest, and a disturbance involving an intoxicated individual downtown.
He said in some cases, officers were already engaged on-scene or transporting individuals to hospital or custody, limiting immediate availability for additional calls.
Communicators advised the restaurant owner that officers would not be able to attend the scene immediately and that the response would shift to an investigative follow-up once resources became available.
Betts also pointed to broader workload statistics to contextualize service demand, noting that arrests and charges have increased year-over-year.
Between Jan. 1 and June 8, 2026, police recorded 1,978 arrests and 3,185 charges, compared to 1,784 arrests and 2,451 charges over the same period in 2025. In 2024, there were 1,461 arrests and 2,451 charges, while 2023 saw 1,252 arrests and 2,025 charges.
The chief said the figures reflect both increased demand for service and the continued workload of frontline officers.
“I recognize that incidents like these are frustrating,” Betts said, adding that public reaction is often shaped by limited awareness of simultaneous calls for service across the city.
He said officers remain committed to public safety, noting that many are also members of the community they serve.
The investigation into the damaged storefront is ongoing.
