“Bear spray is for bears, not to commit mischief,” warns Yellowknife RCMP after yet another incident involving the powerful aerosol deterrent.
Police, the City of Yellowknife Fire Division, Medical Emergency Services (EMS) and MED attended Crestview Manor Apartments on 52 Avenue just after 5:30 p.m. Monday in response to a complaint about a “light odor of what is believed to be bear spray,” stated a news release issued by RCMP Tuesday.
Firefighters and medics attended the scene of a bear-spraying incident at Crestview Manor Monday night.
The smell, emanating from the building’s third floor, led to an evacuation of the apartment complex. Firefighters used pressure fans to decontaminate the building.
None of the tenants inside were exposed to the noxious substance, and the release of the spray didn’t target a specific resident, state RCMP.
No arrests have been made yet in connection with the incident and police are still investigating.
It’s the third suspected use of bear spray in the city in just over a week.
Last week, police charged a 35-year-old man with assault with a weapon, among other offences, alleging he attacked two people with bear spray at Sissons Court on Sept. 21.
That incident followed the suspected release of bear spray at a Gitzel Street apartment building on Sept. 20. No arrests have been made.
“There (have) been a few incidents involving bear spray lately in Yellowknife," stated Staff Sgt. Yannick Hamel. “Bear spray is a noxious substance that can be harmful when used on humans. Devices that deploy a liquid, spray, powder, gas, or any other substance ‘for the purpose of injuring, immobilizing or otherwise incapacitating any person’ are classified as prohibited weapons under the Criminal Code."
“These calls are taken seriously and they monopolize valuable resources that could be used elsewhere in the event of an actual emergency,” he continued.
-with files from Simon Whitehouse.