Driver allegedly bear sprayed victims after minor crash

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This article was published 22/12/2024 (349 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five victims were sprayed with bear spray in a suspected road rage incident downtown Saturday.

After a minor crash on Ellice Avenue, a man allegedly followed the occupants of another vehicle, spit at them and sprayed the bear repellent at them. A 33-year-old man is now charged with five counts of assault with a weapon and one count of possession of a weapon.

It happened after the suspect’s vehicle struck the other vehicle at about 5:45 p.m. Dec. 21 and a verbal argument ensued, the Winnipeg Police Service stated in a news release Sunday. The suspect is accused of following the other vehicle into a parking lot at Kennedy Street and Qu’Appelle Avenue. When a 31-year-old male driver and 33-year-old female passenger got out to inspect the damage from the collision, the suspect is accused of spitting at them and spraying bear spray. The victims’ vehicle window was open and a teen boy and two children younger than five years old were also affected by the bear spray.

Medical attention wasn’t required, police stated. The two parties didn’t know each other prior to this incident.