Police in New Westminster, B.C., are investigating an assault involving bear spray that left one person with facial injuries on Halloween night. Officers responded to the 900 block of Carnarvon Street at around 8:30 p.m., where two people reportedly encountered a group of four or five males inside the mall near the New Westminster SkyTrain Station. Police say the group followed the victims along Carnarvon Street, where two of the males confronted and assaulted one of the victims before deploying bear spray. “The victim sustained facial injuries during the incident,” the New Westminster Police Department said in a news release Thursday. “The suspects fled the area before police arrived and were not located.” Firefighters attended the scene and treated the victim’s injuries. Sgt. Andrew Leaver says investigators are working to identify the suspects and determine what prompted the assault. “We’re asking anyone who may have witnessed the altercation or captured video in the area to contact police,” Leaver said in a statement. The suspects are described as Middle Eastern or Hispanic males, all approximately six feet tall. Police say one of the suspects was wearing all black, another was wearing all grey with a hooded sweatshirt, and a third was wearing red clothing with a black vest. Investigators do not believe the suspects and victims were known to one another. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has video of the area from the time of the incident is asked to contact the New Westminster Police Department at 604-525-5411.
