WINDSOR (WWJ) — Police in Windsor, Ontario are investigating a string of attacks involving bear spray.
Just days after releasing information about a bear spray attack on Mother’s Day, authorities have announced two other attacks dating back to early April are under investigation. Police have said the incidents do not appear to be connected.
Often carried by hikers and campers, bear spray is used to deter bears and other wildlife. It is shot a greater distance than pepper spray and is generally stronger.
The Windsor Police Service on Tuesday announced they were searching for a suspect who bear-sprayed three people around 11 p.m. on May 11 in Downtown Windsor.
The suspect — believed to be a teenage boy, about 15 years old — approached a car where a person was talking with two others sitting inside a parked car. He unleashed the bear spray in their direction and ran away.
Paramedics treated the victims at the scene.
On Thursday police released information about two other bear spray incidents, which also happened in Downtown Windsor last month. On April 12, two people were sitting in a restaurant when someone came inside, pulled out a can of bear spray and sprayed it directly in both of their faces. The victims were also treated at the scene.
The incident was caught on a security camera inside the restaurant, while a camera across the street also captured the suspect running away.
The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 5’6”, with a slender build, blue eyes, and brown curly hair. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his head, a black mask covering the bottom half of his face, and black pants.
In the third incident, on April 23, authorities say around 9 p.m. several young people were walking down the street when a man made a comment to them. The suspect, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, then turned to the man and used bear spray before running away.
Officials said Thursday the two April incidents were not believed to be related.
Anyone with information should call the Major Crimes Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4830. They can also contact Windsor & Essex County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.catchcrooks.com.