A weekend incident at the Lloyd Ex Fair involving private security guards and an autistic child has sparked widespread community concern and calls for accountability after videos of the confrontation began circulating on social media.
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The incident occurred Saturday night during the annual fair hosted by the Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition Association.
Witnesses and social media posts indicate that the child, identified by his family as Cassius, became separated from his grandmother, Esther Bird. An eyewitness who had been sitting with Cassius reported that he was calm until several security guards surrounded him.
The boy panicked, tried to run away and repeatedly cried out that he was lost. According to witnesses, guards from Executive Protection Services, a contracted security firm, pursued and physically restrained him. On-site witnesses reported the handling was aggressive, noting that bystanders repeatedly asked security to stop and explained that the youth has autism.
Jackie Tomayer, general manager of the Lloyd Ex, released the following statement addressing the situation:
“What happened Saturday night at the fair was incredibly unfortunate. I’ve spoken with the child’s grandmother as well as the security company since the incident. Without knowing the full extent of what had happened before we arrived we (myself and a volunteer) tried to de-escalate the situation and keep the public out of the area, to make it as safe as possible. Lloyd Ex has worked hard to be an inclusive environment for all enrolling in special programming as well as offering inclusion hours at other events. Clearly, there is an opportunity here for training, growth and procedural changes. We want to continue to work to ensure that ours is a safe facility that creates positive memories and experiences for all our patrons. Of course we will aid the RCMP in any investigations they have ongoing.”
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