Police are trying to piece together information from three separate bear spray attacks on Monday, April 29 at locations across central Nanaimo. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

disturbing attacks

Teenage suspects sought after trio of attacks involving bear spray

May 2, 2024 | 11:00 AM

NANAIMO — Police are investigating three incidents in an 18 hour span where weapons including bear spray, a metal baton, and a knife were allegedly used by youths in random attacks.

The first incident occurred on Monday, April 29 just after midnight near Dufferin Cres. and Grant Ave., where an unhoused man and an adult woman were pushing a shopping cart when two attackers wearing dark clothing approached them from the direction of the former Dufferin Elementary School site.

Bear spray was used on the man and he was also hit with a metal baton. The man was taken to nearby Nanaimo Regional General Hospital with a possible broken arm and suffering the effects of bear spray.

His female companion was uninjured and the suspects were not located.

The next incident occurred around 90 minutes later, outside the supportive housing complex at 2600 Labieux Rd., where a man was found on the ground after being attacked.

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Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien said the man reported seeing the three people near the roundabout on Labieux Rd. prior to the attack.

“Three youths wearing dark clothing and balaclavas approached an unhoused person, bear sprayed them and he actually got struck by a knife. He was taken to hospital, the knife injury was minor, but he was certainly suffering from the effects of the bear spray.”

Police were told the three were seen running along a nearby bike path towards Hwy. 19A, while the victim was taken to hospital for his injuries.

The third incident occurred Monday evening, around 6:30 p.m., when police were called to a chiropractic office on the Island Hwy. near Country Club Centre after the business owner chased two youths out of his store for yelling obscenities.

As they were running away, one of the suspects turned and blasted the owner in the face with bear spray.

The youth who used the bear spray was wearing a burgundy sweater, while the other was in a darker sweater. Both are described as being between 14 and 16-years-old.

The victim was transported to the hospital to have his eyes treated and flushed.

Cst. O’Brien said police think the first two incidents are related based on the similarities of the suspect’s description and weapons used.

“Two of them were unhoused persons, so we think they may have been targeted because of the fact they were on the street at the time. The other one is the ages, in all three they’re described as younger males, 14-16 years of age, all wearing dark clothing, all using bear spray.”

The third incident at the chiropractor’s office is still being investigated for any connection with the first two.

Police are also working to determine if these are related to an April 18 incident along Nanaimo’s Big Bear Ridge, when a 54-year-old man with diversabilities was hit with bear spray in a seemingly unprovoked attack.

“We are certainly seeing bear spray being used by a number of people for a number of reasons, whether intimidation or showing off or to commit a crime, it’s quite common now,” O’Brien said.

Anyone with information on any of these incidents is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 1-250-754-2345, file number 2024-13296, 2024-13208, 2024-13212.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow