A newlywed couple from Winnipeg was among a crowd of thousands in Turkey over the weekend who were targeted with tear gas at a gay pride parade on Sunday. Istanbul riot police fired rubber bullets and water cannons into the crowd.

Sam and Robyn Hagenlocher headed to Istanbul's central square to take part in the LGBT event Sunday afternoon.

The pair met up with a new friend at a nearby cafe and were talking about the recent U.S. Supreme court decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

Sam (left) and Robin (right) Hagenlocher pose in Istanbul moments before riot police fired rubber bullets and water cannons on people celebrating in a local gay pride rally. Sam said the riot police had been lined up along the streets hours before the parade was set to begin. But then things took a turn and Hagenlocher said they noticed police move in on the crowd.

Sam recorded police hosing people down and throwing tear gas into the streets with his camera.

"At that point it still wasn't completely real yet," he said. "You're still sort of seeing it as a tourist, you're like, 'What the hell is going on?' You can't believe what you're seeing and then the tanks turned around on us and then it became real."

The 29-year-old Winnipeg man said it was around that time when the tanks shooting water took aim in the direction of where he, his wife and their new friend were standing.

"These big tanks had water cannons on them so they were watering the crowd while they were also throwing tear gas and firing rubber bullets," he said.

'What tear gas tastes like'

Sam and Robyn Hagenlocher were at a cafe in downtown Istanbul on vacation when they witnessed police hose down and fire rubber bullets at people celebrating in the local Pride Parade. (Sam Hagenlocher) Hagenlocher said the group managed to get out of the area unharmed.

"We dropped our phones and just ran and were just terrified and being chased by police, and learning for the first time what tear gas tastes like and feels like was frightening," he said.

He added he doesn't know why the authorities turned on the peaceful crowd.

"It was completely peaceful, there was nothing to instigate this kind of action."