Disgusted by the rioting mob that damaged parts of his beloved hometown of Vancouver -- setting fires, looting and fighting -- Canadian singer Michael Buble said Friday he has financed a campaign to identify those responsible.
The pledge came as Vancouver police announced they had set up a special taskforce, of more than 30 officers, to find those responsible for the downtown rampage, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Buble, who flew into Vancouver Wednesday night to see the Canucks defeated by the Boston Bruins in the decisive Game 7 of the Stanley Cup, witnessed the beginnings of the riot as he headed to the airport after the game.
"I was crushed," he told The Globe and Mail from New Hampshire where he played a concert Friday night.
"I felt sick inside. I'm so proud of my city and any chance I get I promote it. I tell people how great we are. It's crushing to have a legacy like that tarnished by some losers."
Wednesday night's riots left more than 150 people injured, with at least 14 police officers also hurt. At least three people suffered serious injuries, including a man who remains in critical condition after falling from a viaduct.
Police made more than 100 arrests and have received tens of thousands of tips as they try to track down as many of the rioters as possible. Seven people turned themselves in Friday as police encouraged people to send in photos and videos in hopes of identifying the offenders.
More than 50 businesses were damaged as rioters set fire to cars and trash cans, broke store windows and looted merchandise, and scuffled with police.
Starting Saturday, ads -- paid for by Buble -- will be placed in the city's newspapers, calling for people to identify the rioters.
Buble, 35, who was recently ranked at number five on Forbes' list of the highest paid musicians in the world, said he wanted to use his profile to help convict anyone guilty of a criminal act during the riot.
"They're trash, basically. It was gutless and disgusting behavior," Buble said. "That mob mentality could have killed somebody."
"I'm disgusted by what the rioters did to the city," he added.
"I'm disgusted by how they made us look, but I'm more disgusted by how they destroyed the privileges that we deserved to have.
"We should be able to have television outside during the playoffs, and have viewing parties, and people hanging out, being peaceful. They took that away from us.
"It's easy to sit back and complain. Let's do something about it. This is not going to happen in my city, to our city."
Vancouver Premier Christy Clark said she would do everything possible to make sure that outdoor events continue in Vancouver.
"We need to understand what happened and what we need to do in the future because we are not going to stop having outside events in Vancouver and we are not going to give up the streets to criminals," she told the Vancouver Sun.
Meanwhile, the couple photographed in an embrace on the street while the riots went on around them told Australia's Channel Nine Saturday that they were happy to have shared the moment with the world, but wanted to get on with their lives now.
After the photograph made waves around the world, Australian Scott Jones, 29, and his Canadian girlfriend Alex Thomas said they have become "overwhelmed" by the attention.
"It was a moment and now that's it passed, we so happy I guess that people got to share it, but we're going to just on with our lives,"Thomas said.
Jones explained the photo was taken just moments after the couple had been charged at by riot police and Thomas tripped and fell over.
"I went back to get her and they [the riot police] just like kept hitting us with their shields," he said. "After they passed over us I was just trying to comfort her."
