Saskatoon police responded to four bear spray calls over the weekend

Police in Saskatoon responded to four separate calls involving bear spray over the weekend.

On Friday morning, police were called to the 200 block of First Avenue South for a report that two people had been bear sprayed.

“Upon arrival, officers located two females suffering from the effects of bear spray; they were treated on scene by paramedics and firefighters,” the police service said in a statement.

“Upon further investigation, it is believed the incident took place at the corner of 21st Street East and 2nd Avenue South.”

The suspects took off before police arrived, but the police service said the victims and suspects likely knew each other.

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The second case happened at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, when officers were called to the same block of First Avenue South for another report that people had been sprayed with the chemical irritant.

“The suspect had fled the scene before police arrival; however, officers located three people suffering from the effects of bear spray. Paramedics were already on scene treating the victims,” the police service said.

“The suspect is described as male, early twenties, approximately 6 feet tall, thin build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.”

The third case saw officers called to the 3300 block of Fairlight Drive at around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“Upon arrival, officers located a male suffering from the effects of bear spray. The suspect had fled the scene before police arrival. The victim was treated on scene by paramedics,” the police service said.

The fourth call came in at around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Police were called to the 100 block of Avenue R South for yet another report of bear spray.

“Upon arrival, officers located a male suffering from the effects of bear spray. The suspect had fled the scene prior to police arrival,” the police service said.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents was asked to contact the Saskatoon Police Service or make an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers.

A high number of bear spray incidents have been reported recently in the Bridge City. Last Wednesday, police responded to three separate calls involving bear spray, and a Saskatoon school was evacuated on Thursday after an alleged bear spray attack.

Earlier this year, the provincial government announced new regulations aiming to reduce the number of criminal incidents involving bear spray.

The changes include regulations to restrict the possession of bear spray in public urban spaces, and a ban on altering bear spray in order to hide or disguise the product’s identity.

Anyone charged under the new regulations could face fines of up to $100,000.