A 28-year-old Calgary woman is facing a serious criminal charge after police allege she threw a heavy traffic pylon from the balcony of a downtown high-rise apartment, an act authorities describe as "incredibly dangerous."
Incident Captured on Social Media
The Calgary Police Service launched an investigation after a video surfaced online on Monday, January 4th, 2026. The footage appeared to show an individual throwing a traffic delineator pylon from a high balcony in the city's core.
Using details from the social media post, investigators pinpointed the location to an apartment building in the 1100 block of 3rd Street S.E. in downtown Calgary. Officers located the nearly 13-pound (approx. 5.9 kg) pylon on the sidewalk below.
Police Investigation and Arrest
Further investigation revealed the reckless act occurred two days earlier, on Saturday, January 2nd, 2026, shortly before 12:30 p.m., and originated from the 14th floor of the building.
Police identified a suspect and subsequently arrested a 28-year-old woman at a residence on Calhoun Crescent N.E., in the Livingston neighbourhood. She has been charged with one count of mischief causing danger to life.
A Stark Warning from Police
Staff Sergeant Paul Ralstin of the Calgary Police Service emphasized the severe risk posed by such actions. "Throwing any object off a high-rise is incredibly dangerous," Ralstin stated in a news release. "We are lucky nobody was seriously hurt or even killed."
He added that the charge reflects how seriously police treat crimes that some may dismiss as harmless pranks. "By laying these charges, we hope to show how seriously police take crimes that some people think are simply pranks," Ralstin said.
The name of the accused was not released by police on Tuesday, January 5th, as is common practice before charges are formally sworn in court.
Police are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact them at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers.
