Saskatoon man recovering after being bear sprayed during robbery

A Saskatoon man is recovering after he was the victim of a violent robbery in the city’s Richmond Heights neighbourhood on Thursday.

According to the Saskatoon Police Service, officers got a report just before 4 p.m. saying a man had been bear sprayed.

Read More:

• Saskatoon police responded to 10 bear spray incidents over long weekend
• Saskatoon man arrested with homemade taser, bear spray, meth
• Bear spray used in pair of weekend robberies: Saskatoon police

“Upon arrival, officers learned that the man was believed to have been bear sprayed and robbed of his property in an alley behind the 1000 block of Hazen Street before seeking assistance at a residence in the 30 block of Rupert Drive,” the police service explained in a statement.

“The suspect had fled in an unknown direction.”

The suspect was described as a man in his 20s with a heavy build and a limp, police said.

“He was wearing a black jacket, satchel, backpack, and white shoes at the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information that could help further the investigation was encouraged to contact police or make a report anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

Bear spray has been a major issue in Saskatoon in recent months, with police responding to 10 separate incidents involving bear spray over the Family Day Long Weekend.

Bear spray is a deterrent containing capsaicin, a chemical found in chili peppers. The canister releases a cone-shaped cloud of spray to a distance of approximately 10 m and at a speed of over 100 km/h. Capsaicin inflames the eyes and respiratory system of both animals and humans.

According to bearwise.org, the spray is oil-based, so first aid for the bear spray is to wash off the residue with soap and water, don’t rub your eyes or nose, and rinse your eyes with clean water until the irritation lessons. Effects generally wear off in about 45 minutes, the bear awareness site says.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.

According to the provincial government, police in Saskatchewan have responded to over 3,000 bear spray incidents over the last five years, but the total number of incidents involving bear spray could be much higher when factoring in unreported cases.