Saskatoon police investigate five bear spray incidents in one week

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is investigating aft 5 carnivore spray attacks were reported this week, including 1 connected a seven-year-old boy.

Police responded to 19th Street West and Avenue C South astatine 9:50 a.m. connected Monday, July 22. According to police, a 24-year-old female was suffering from nan effects of carnivore spray, but was uncooperative and didn’t supply immoderate further information.

Later that day, astatine astir 3:50 p.m., constabulary were called to nan 200 artifact of Avenue O South wherever a seven-year-old boy had been assaulted pinch carnivore spray.

Around 3 hours later, officers went to nan 400 artifact of Confederation Drive for a study of personification being carnivore sprayed. Police opportunity nan fishy fled and officers took nan unfortunate home.

At astir nan aforesaid time, constabulary were called to nan 100 artifact of 33rd Street West for a study of a carnivore spray incident. Police opportunity nan unfortunate successful that lawsuit did not want to property charges.

Then, astatine astir 1:50 a.m. Tuesday, constabulary responded to reports of a carnivore spray incident successful nan 100 artifact of Nelson Road. Officers couldn’t find nan suspect, but nan unfortunate was treated astatine nan segment by paramedics. Police opportunity nan unfortunate did not want to property charges.

Insp. Tyson Lavallee pinch nan Saskatoon Police Service said nan incidents are not thought to beryllium related and location are nary updates connected nan investigations. He said location hasn’t been overmuch of an summation successful these types of incidents compared to past year, pinch 141 astatine this clip successful 2023, and 148 truthful acold this year.

Trending Now

“That being said, nan wide five-year inclination pinch weapons calls and unit is connected nan increase,” he said. “While we’re not overmuch different than past year, it’s still a concern, evidently for nan service.”

Troy Davies, head of media relations pinch Medavie Health Services West said incidents for illustration these aren’t common.

“We person a bunch of them and past we don’t spot immoderate for rather immoderate time,” he said. “I’d opportunity erstwhile they do hap though, they’re isolated incidents. It’s not for illustration it’s successful nan mediate of a promenade aliases nan mediate of a nationalist place.”

In March, nan state introduced new carnivore spray regulations aft what Justice Minister and Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre called thousands of nationalist disturbances.

The regulations restrict nan usage of capsaicin-containing wildlife power products successful nationalist municipality spaces, and prohibit disguising nan product’s identity. Those charged nether nan regulations could look fines of up to $100,000.

“We’re proceeding from rule enforcement that it has fixed them that further tool,” Eyre said Wednesday. “We dream going guardant we’ll really trim these incidents we’re seeing because they’re really a problem progressively successful our communities.”