Trick-or-treating bear spray

A group of young teenage girls were treated by paramedics Thursday night after they were bear sprayed while trick-or-treating in the Upper Mission.

About six 13-year-old girls were trick-or-treating along Quilchena Drive when they came upon three teenage boys at about 8:30 p.m.

“Three boys tried to get them to follow them down an alley, they wouldn't follow them, so they chased them to Chute Lake Elementary,” said Tanisha Adamik, the mother of one of the girls.

“I don't know if it was mace or pepper spray, but they sprayed all the girls.”

Adamik says the girls were in “rough shape” Thursday night and that “some of the girls got it worse than others.”

Police and paramedics were called and the girls were treated at the scene, while the boys took off.

Kendall Pew, the mother of one of the other girls who was attacked, says police told her they had found one of the boys who was believed to be involved, but she's not sure if any charges have been laid. She's heard that the boys involved were about 15 or 16 years old.

“I think all of us are just distressed that it happened, I don't think anyone expects this,” Pew said. “No one expects to get a call from their child that they've been enjoying trick-or-treating and they've been bear sprayed."

Pew added that there were plenty of other people out and about trick-or-treating when the attack occurred.

“They're terrified ... it really does immobilize you. A lot of them couldn't see, a lot of them were having problems breathing,” Pew said.

“No one wants children's innocence taken away at an early age. You want them to be kids and have fun as long as they can. As a parent you just don't think this will ever happen.”

Castanet has reached out to the RCMP for more information about the investigation.