A 13-year-old boy was arrested on the weekend for allegedly shooting off bear spray inside the Metrotown mall.
At about 7:20 p.m. on Friday, Burnaby RCMP got multiple reports that someone had deployed pepper spray near the food court at Metropolis at Metrotown, according to an emailed statement from the detachment.
“It appears the bear spray was used after a verbal dispute between several young people who were known to each other,” the statement said.
Multiple people, including bystanders, were affected by the pepper spray, but there were no serious injuries, according to police.
A 13-year-old boy who fled the scene before police arrived at the mall was arrested at his home within hours, police said.
He has since been released.
Because the suspect is a youth, the Youth Criminal Justice Act requires police to consider “extrajudicial measures” before forwarding charges to the Crown, according to the RCMP.
An investigation into the incident continues.
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