A Saskatoon man says a night of celebrating his birthday ended with a random downtown attack that left him with a gash to the back of his head, a black eye and extensive bruising. Ross Smith says he and his friend were walking home in the early morning hours Saturday after going out for birthday drinks when a group of strangers approached them near Spadina Crescent East and 20th Street East. “We didn’t look their way, there was no animosity, and just on the corner of 20th, they just decide to bear spray us in the face,” Smith said in an interview with CTV News Monday. He said they couldn’t see and could hardly breathe. His friend ran to get help, but Smith was unable to get away. “They just tripped me up. Started kicking my head, my face,” he said. Smith said he believes he lost consciousness after a couple of minutes. He doesn’t remember what happened after that, but a police officer later told him they found him on a bench across from where he was attacked, awake but largely incoherent. He was taken to hospital with bruising to his arms, legs and ribs. He also received three staples for a gash on the back of his head and had a black eye. His left ear was swollen at the time, he said. “My left ear was as though I fought in the UFC,” he said. Smith said he’s thankful for the paramedics and staff at Royal University Hospital who helped him after the attack and grateful his friend was able to get help. “Thankfully my friend got away and raised the alarm, or I dread to think what might have happened,” he said. Days later, Smith said he is still in a lot of pain. He said his wallet and keys were still on him, but he has not been able to find his phone, which contains memories of his parents, who have since died. He said he is sharing his experience to warn others. “Be safe, be wary, and keep an eye when you’re out there, because I didn’t expect anything like this to happen in this city,” he said. The experience has also made him rethink how he gets home after a night out. “I will not be walking home anymore, that’s for sure,” he said. Two youths charged Saskatoon police say they were called to the scene just after 3 a.m. for a report of an injured person. Officers later located a group of people matching the suspect descriptions, police say. Two people ran from police and were later caught, while three others were detained. One of the boys was found in possession of bear spray. A 17-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon, while a 15-year-old boy has been charged with obstructing a peace officer and breaching court-imposed conditions. The two accused are scheduled to appear in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Sept. 16. Downtown sees rise in assaults According to Saskatoon Police Service data, reported assaults rose by about 75 per cent between 2021 and 2025, from 191 to 334 incidents. There have been 177 assaults in downtown Saskatoon so far this year, but Inspector Nolan Berg says the year-to-date total is roughly in line with the same period in 2025. “While the overall trend of assaults over the last five years has been gradually increasing, we’re seeing for the first eight months of the year, we’re about on par with last year for assaults overall,” Berg said in an interview with CTV News. Police data is divided into 11 assault categories, including common assault, assault involving a weapon or causing bodily harm, and aggravated assault. Assaults involving a weapon or causing bodily harm saw the largest increase in the number of incidents, rising from 47 in 2021 to 114 in 2025. “We’ve had a number of incidents the last few years that have involved bear spray as a particular weapon of choice, and so we’ve undertaken some projects to try to curb the illicit sale and distribution of those types of weapons,” Berg said. He said staying aware of your surroundings is key to personal safety. “The main thing we can stress to people is to maintain your sense of self awareness,” he said. Berg said people should be aware of their surroundings, know where they are in case they need to call for help, make sure someone else knows where they are and avoid distractions while out in public.
