Updated August 4, 2026 @ 2:36pm
Barrie Police are investigating an alleged assault involving a 16-year-old girl - and are now speaking out about the people who recorded the incident and cheered instead of calling for help.
Police say the assault happened around 10 p.m. Friday near Lakeshore Drive and Victoria Street.
The teen suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators are trying to identify two suspects. Both are female and believed to be around 16 years old.
Police say they are aware of a video of the incident circulating on social media, and are asking people not to repost it or share it.
They say the video includes youths who could be easily identified, which could be a violation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
In a video posted to social media. Barrie Police Staff Sgt. AaronGeertsma said officers are extremely concerned after seeing what happened around the alleged assault.
"Extremely concerned when you watch the video of this fight, the amount of people that are actively participating by videotaping and cheering people on and that nobody stepped in," Geertsma said.
"It's extremely disturbing to see."
The officer said people should not put themselves in danger by physically getting involved in an active assault, but they should contact police or look for help.
“We’re not condoning that you need to get involved into an active assault yourself, but standing by and cheering it on is just not acceptable,” the Staff Sgt. said.
Police are also asking anyone who recorded the incident on their cellphone to provide that video to investigators.
“We’re investigating this as a serious incident and that we would appreciate the cooperation of receiving the evidence that you’ve obtained with your cell phones,” Geertsma added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Barrie Police at 705-725-7025 or the investigating officer via email at rmartinelli@barriepolice.ca.
