Saskatoon police called to 10 bear spray incidents over weekend, arrest four teens

A Saskatoon police cruiser can be seen in this file photo. (Hayatullah Amanat/CTV News)

Saskatoon police had a busy weekend responding to a string of bear spray incidents.

In a news release sent late Tuesday, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) said officers responded to 10 bear spray incidents between 1 a.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Monday.

The first incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Saturday at a liquor store on the 2200 block of 22nd Street West, where police said three youths attempted to steal liquor and deployed bear spray toward employees before fleeing on foot.

Another incident took place later the same day, around 5:30 p.m., at a shopping mall on the 3300 block of 8th Street East. Police say two groups of people deployed bear spray toward each other while running through the building.

According to SPS, when officers arrived, the suspects and victims had fled. No one on the scene required medical attention.

Around 12 p.m. on Monday, police were dispatched to a shopping mall on the 200 block of First Avenue North, where a group of four people deployed bear spray toward a security guard while being escorted out of the mall. The suspects fled on foot but were arrested a short distance away, according to police.

SPS said two individuals were found to have bear spray in their possession, while a third had a collapsible baton.

Four suspects, ranging in age from 15 to 17 years old, were charged with weapons-related offences. One 16-year-old was also charged with assault with a weapon.

Police say a 15-year-old was subsequently released without charges.