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Police Arrest Suspect After Tape Shown on YouTube

Posted on: Wednesday, 20 December 2006, 21:00 CST

By TOBI COHEN

TORONTO (CP) - It's drawn nearly 24,000 hits and attracted attention from as far away as Singapore, but Hamilton police weren't saying anything Wednesday about the role the video-sharing sensation YouTube.com played in the arrest of a man wanted for murder.

Two weeks after police posted a 72-second clip from a surveillance camera at the club where Ryan Milner, 22, was stabbed to death last month, a 24-year-old man turned himself in to police, accompanied by his lawyer.

George Gallo appeared in court Wednesday to face charges of second-degree murder and attempted murder in the death of Milner, of Grimsby, Ont., who died after an altercation with two men after a hip-hop concert at Club 77 in Hamilton.

The case attracted international attention not because of the killing, but because police used the massive Internet video-sharing site in what's believed to be a Canadian first in an effort to locate witnesses and convince them to come forward.

"The tragic death of Mr. Milner has deeply affected his family and those who knew him," Hamilton police Det. David Beech said in a release Tuesday. "Hopefully this arrest will bring some comfort to his friends and relatives, especially at Christmas time."

It's not clear whether police are looking for a second suspect, but investigators are expected to release more details about the case at a news conference Thursday, when they'll also reveal how prominent a role YouTube played in Tuesday's arrest.

A spokeswoman for Hamilton police refused to discuss the case Wednesday except to say that Det. Sgt. Jorge Lasso, the officer who posted the video, has been inundated with calls from around the world since a Canadian Press report on the case was published last week.

University of Ottawa criminologist Wade Deisman said police departments ought to give the idea a bit more thought before adding YouTube to their arsenal of investigative tools.

Picking and choosing which leads to chase could prove to be little more than a make-work project, while using the Internet to make public appeals for assistance could drain the proverbial well of community co-operation, Deisman warned.

Leading technology and Internet expert Rick Broadhead said he expects the Club 77 video experience to lead to an even greater police presence on YouTube in the future.

"YouTube, I think, is a dream for law enforcement because at a very low expense, it gives them a global platform," Broadhead said.

"They're not only reaching people in Toronto, they're reaching people across Canada, across the continent and around the world."

Most Internet users are more savvy than the Winnipeg street racers who were arrested by police after they used YouTube to post clips of their racing antics, he added.

"Posting something on YouTube is similar to standing in Times Square and saying, 'Look at me.' The world is watching, essentially," Broadhead said.

"I think people are smart enough to realize that when you post something on YouTube, the reason you're doing it is because you know people are going to watch it. You want the attention."

Source: Canadian Press

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