Teen arrested for using bear spray to attack bus passenger, driver: Winnipeg police
The Winnipeg Police Service has arrested a 17-year-old male after investigators allege he used bear spray to attack people on a bus.
Police said on June 26 a bus driver and passenger were assaulted with bear spray on a bus travelling south on Main Street around 10:30 p.m.
Investigators said the suspect started an argument with an unknown woman and the driver stopped the bus to defuse the situation.
When the driver got involved, police said the suspect sprayed both of them with bear spray.
Police said the male then kicked and broke the doors at the front of the bus and escaped.
Both people were treated for bear spray exposure.
Then around 11 p.m., police said they received another report of a male using bear spray on another bus, but he was also able to get away.
Around midnight, police said they found the suspect in the 200 block of Portage and Main and arrested him.
He was found with five grams of cocaine, which has a street value of around $400.
The teen was charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, mischief under $5,000, possessing a scheduled substance, and three counts of failing to comply with a release order.
He remains in custody and the charges against him have not been proven in court.
Const. Dani McKinnon said bear spray incidents are not new, but transit assaults are becoming more common.
"These attacks are seemingly quite random. Often the assaults will occur between people that are actual acquaintances and perhaps have some type of pre-existing negative connection with each other," said McKinnon.
She added police and transit work closely with each other to ensure safety for drivers and passengers on a bus.
A spokesperson for Winnipeg Transit said safety and security is a top priority on buses.
They said transit continues to invest in safety initiatives such as operator training, safety shields, video and audio surveillance, and inspector initiatives.
"We are also presently exploring the development of a Mentorship Program for employees to support other (newer) employees," the spokesperson said.
They added the city has spent $9.6 million on transit safety since 2017.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.