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Teen charged after allegedly bear spraying man for walking too slowly

17-year-old boy faces charges, including assault with a weapon
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(Metro Vancouver Transit Police handout)

A 17-year-old boy has been charged after allegedly assaulting a man with bear spray at a SkyTrain station because he wasn’t walking fast enough.

The man and his son were walking down a staircase at the Burnaby SkyTrain station platform on Nov. 1.

“They were confronted by a youth who felt they were moving too slowly,” Transit Police said in a release Thursday.

When the man turned to speak to the teen, he was allegedly sprayed several times in the face with bear spray, before the boy ran out of the station.

Paramedics arrived to treat the victim, as well an elderly woman and other passengers affected by the spray.

RCMP were able to identify the suspect and took him into custody the next day at his Burnaby high school.

The teen, who is well known to police, has been charged with assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

He was set to appear in Robson Street Youth Court on Thursday.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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