Several people were arrested by the police in a dramatic raid that dismantled an illegal gambling ring. They were arrested at a crowded Super Bowl party Sunday evening at a banquet hall in Markham.

A crowd of nearly 2500 people were eating and drinking at pleasure watching the Super Bowl games when the police forced themselves in the massive event at Le Parc Banquet Hall on Leslie Street at Regional Road 7.

After shutting down the event, the police read out information about their search warrant over a loud speaker, as reported by the National Post. The names and charges of the arrested people were not made available.

The massively large hall had many bars spread over several compartmental rooms each having a huge television set that played the football championship. The police are said to have reached the spot when only first quarter of the event was over. When the raid came in, patrons had only finished a platter of starter and some pasta but were not yet served their main course.

"Myself and a couple friends had gotten up to go to the washroom and grab a drink, as we approached the main entrance of the hall, about 100 plus cops and SWAT members equipped with heavy artillery ran in straight lines and swarmed all five rooms in the hall," the National Post quoted Luigi Caruso, one of the patrons who were attending the party as saying.

The police made their way in the crowd often looking at each face making rapid progress from table to table and occasionally catching hold of a person and saying "got one," the National post quoted the witness as saying.

The official announcement of the raid would be made by the police Monday morning. 

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