Nanaimo RCMP are asking for your help in finding a man involved in a bear spraying incident.
According to police, the incident took place at 12:45 pm on Victoria Day at the Walmart parking lot, located in the Woodgrove Centre as a family was trying to find a parking spot for a boat and trailer.
Reserve Constable Gary O’Brien says before they pulled in, a large vehicle believed to be a Hummer cut them off.
“Both drivers got very upset, so they get out of their vehicles and are going at each other, and it went from a heated exchange to the driver of the Hummer going back to his car, pulling out bear spray and spraying the other driver,” said O’Brien.
“Unfortunately, he gets hit, and all four of his children were contaminated as well. So the bear-sprayed driver goes to his vehicle and pulls out a tire iron and smashes at a window of the hummer, then the hummer driver got back into his vehicle and drove off.”
O’Brien says paramedics and the fire department arrived at the scene, providing treatment at the scene for the man and his kids.
He also says while they have seen similar incidents with road rage, they haven’t seen one recently where it escalated over a parking spot.
“It didn’t have to get to that point,” said O’Brien. “If somebody is giving you a lip about something, you have to realize where you are at and what could possibly happen.”
While they don’t have the other vehicle’s plate number, O’Brien adds they have a partial description of the man. He’s described as a Caucasian man, in his 60’s, with grey hair, and has a green shirt.
If you have any more information on the incident, or know who the person is, they ask you to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
