A suspect has been arrested and charged after a series of bear-spray incidents in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood Thursday afternoon, according to police. The Vancouver Police Department says officers first received a report around 1 p.m. of a man stealing a can of bear spray from a vehicle near the 1900 block of Ogden Street. When the vehicle’s owner confronted him, the man reportedly deployed the bear spray and walked away. About 10 minutes later, police say the man approached a second victim, bear-sprayed him, grabbed his phone and threw it, then left the area. Police say the man then approached a woman, pointed the bear spray at her and demanded a ride or access to her car. “Officers arrived in the area and located the man, but he refused to comply with their directions and allegedly sprayed bear spray multiple times at the responding officers before he was taken into custody,” a news release issued Friday reads. The suspect, 42-year-old Jonathan Laberge-Labrecque, now faces two counts of assault with a weapon, three counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, and one count each of theft under $5,000 and robbery. Police say he remains in custody pending a bail hearing.
