By Denise Ryan
The family of Nathan Kotylak, who turned himself in to police Saturday after he was caught in photos apparently trying to set fire to a Vancouver police cruiser during the Stanley Cup riot, has fled their home after receiving threats.
Bart Findlay, a lawyer who is representing Nathan, said the young man’s father, a Maple Ridge, B.C., surgeon, also had to temporarily close his medical office.
“The mob mentality that took place at the riots is now happening on social media. The family is very disturbed…. they have concerns for their safety,” Mr. Findlay said.
Nathan has publicly apologized for his actions.
“What I did was dumb and I let my family and friends down,” the 17-year-old told Global B.C., choking back tears with his parents at his side. “I was caught up in the moment.”
Mr. Kotylak, a water polo star, apologized after a photo appeared on the Internet of him holding a burning shirt to the car’s open gas tank.
Pictures show the fully equipped cruiser, worth more than $50,000, on fire, as an excited crowd looks on at a parking lot at Cambie and Georgia streets. The teenager, who is noticeable in the photo for the distinctive pair of blue and orange running shoes he was wearing, waived his rights as a young offender to go public with his apology Saturday evening.
“I want to own up to what I did and encourage others to do the same,” Mr. Kotylak told Global. “I’m just ashamed.”
The incident happened during the early stages of what turned into a five-hour-long riot that taxed police resources to the limit and caused millions of dollars in damages.
Mr. Kotylak was identified by two sources who requested anonymity: a person associated with his elite water polo team and a family member who called the Vancouver Province.
He has not been charged, nor have police said he is being investigated.
Ridge Meadows RCMP admitted calls have been fielded about his possible involvement, but referred all questions to Vancouver police, who had no immediate comment.
Mr. Kotylak, a promising young water polo star who is in Grade 12, comes from a well-to-do family in Maple Ridge where his dad, Dr. Greg Kotylak, is a general surgeon. His mother, Josephine Kotylak, is a registered nurse and heavily involved in water polo administration.
“Nathan’s behaviour that night does not reflect his true character,” Greg Kotylak told Global B.C., also noting that it was his son’s decision to publicly apologize.
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