CANADIAN HOCKEY FANS FACING POSSIBLE CHARGES OVER FLAG
LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Police in California say two Canadians who took down an American flag and replaced it with a Canadian following Sidney Crosby's golden goal at the Olympics could face charges of vandalism and flag desecration.
Police in La Quinta, Calif., have identified the two suspects as Ryan Smith, 25, of Bermuda Dunes, Calif., and 26-year-old Matt Siefert of Palm Desert, Calif., both Canadian citizens.
The La Quinta Police Department has submitted a complaint to the district attorney's office requesting state misdemeanour charges of vandalism and flag desecration for both Smith and Siefert, police said in a news release Monday.
Local media have reported that the incident happened during the evening of Feb. 28, 2010, following Canada's victory in the men's hockey final against the United States.
The U.S. flag, which had been displayed on a mountain top and maintained by a private citizen "in honour of the September 11, 2001 victims", was replaced by a Canadian flag, police said. The American flag was found damaged.
If convicted, the men could face up to a year in jail.
Source: TSN
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