For several hours late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, Torontonians were captivated by their embattled Mayor Rob Ford as he had a night on the town. It began when he allegedly received a warning from security guards at a hockey game after acting "belligerent."
Ford, who admitted having smoked crack cocaine in November, was mobbed by onlookers at the game who documented the action with tweets, photos, and videos including a clip of the mayor cursing at security. Afterward, Ford went to his office at City Hall where he was trailed by reporters who noted a suspicious "funny" smell. One reporter compared it to "burnt rubber" wafting through the halls. Ford's final known stop was a nightclub where he complimented at least one young lady on her looks.
According to the Toronto Star, during the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets at the Air Canada Centre, Twitter "erupted" with a rumor"Ford had been kicked out of the building for intoxication." However, a source told the Star Ford merely received a warning from security and was not removed. The source said Ford became "belligerent" and security "had to ask him to control himself."
Fans posted pictures and videos of Ford at the game on social media sites showing him carrying a water bottle and wearing a customized Maple Leafs jersey. Based on these pictures, Ford attracted huge crowds at the event and agreed to pose for pictures with many of them. Instagram user Patrick Maziarz posted a shot of the mayor inside the arena and claimed Ford "could barely stand straight" and "had to get escorted out of the building." One video posted on Instagram was described as showing Ford "arguing with" a security guard. Another video that appeared on Tumblr seemed to show Ford engaged in a heated discussion with a security guard. Though it's not entirely clear what he's saying, Ford can be heard saying, "bullshit."
Ford's companion for the game was City Councillor Frank Di Giorgio, who spoke to the Star about the situation. Di Giorgio said Ford became "upset" when he was barred from entering a VIP lounge.
"I think the mayor was upset that he wouldn’t be accepted into the Directors’ Lounge, for whatever reason—I think he was upset that for the longest time, he’d been allowed to go there, and for whatever reason, there was a special function going on, and he was not welcome there tonight. So he just got upset over it. And I tried to calm him down. And for most of the night he was fine," said Di Giorgio.
Di Giorgio also told the Star he lost track of the mayor after the game when Ford abruptly "jumped into a cab" with some of the people around him.
"I feel a bit responsible that I don’t know where he is right now," Di Giorgio said. "There was a huge crowd surrounding him—I just anticipated that he was just going to jump into a cab. He was about 10, 15 yards ahead of me, and before I knew it, he had jumped into a cab. And some of the people that were surrounding him jumped into the cab with him."
Ford did not respond to an email from Business Insider Sunday asking him about his night. A video posted on Instagram seemed to show Ford speeding off in a cab after the game. Apparently, he next went to City Hall where the Toronto Star's Daniel Dale and NOW Magazine staff writer Jonathan Goldsbie staked out his office. Both Dale and Goldsbie sent out tweets describing a mysterious odor near Ford's car and office:
If it makes you feel any better (I know it makes me feel better), Rob Ford's Escalade is still in its parking spot at City Hall.
— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) April 6, 2014On the other hand, the lights in Rob Ford's office are on and the blinds are drawn. That may or may not be typical for midnight Saturday.
— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) April 6, 2014On the other hand, the lights in Rob Ford's office are on and the blinds are drawn. That may or may not be typical for midnight Saturday.
— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) April 6, 2014I'm at city hall with @goldsbie. Light is on in the mayor's office, and his car is here. It also smells a bit funny - don't know why.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 6, 2014There's a bizarre burnt rubber smell wafting through the City Hall rotunda.
— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) April 6, 2014(To be clear, I cannot say with confidence that the odour centres on his office.)
— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) April 6, 2014The smell is actually strongest around the Deputy Mayor's office, if you must know.
— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) April 6, 2014@hunterw@HeerJeet I'm not implying I smell crack. Just a weird smell.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) April 6, 2014Dale said Ford remained at City Hall until about 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning when "security put him in a taxi." Ford was next spotted at Muzik, a nightclub he has visited in the past. Muzik's website indicates the club features an "unprecedented degree of luxury and service" including "premium bottle service" and "VIP washrooms." According to the club's website, Saturday night it hosted a party celebrating spring and was described as "a 19+ event."
Some of Ford's fellow clubgoers posted photos of him posing for pictures with patrons at the club on social media sites:
Based on the tweet she wrote, a woman named Mariah Craig enjoyed her encounter with the mayor:
Rob Ford said I'm pretty so bye pic.twitter.com/6mFFvyDfL2
— Mariah Craig (@murrcraig) April 6, 2014Craig told Business Insider Ford appeared to be sober during his time at the club. She subsequently deleted that tweet.
Ford is currently running for re-election and, in spite of his drug scandal, a recent poll showed him leading his rivals.