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Victoria police officers attacked with bear spray during arrest

Officers bear sprayed

Two Victoria police officers were attacked with bear spray while trying to arrest a violent man Thursday morning.

Police stopped two men around 5:30 a.m. in the 2900-block of Douglas Street, one of whom was breaching his court-ordered curfew. The curfew was imposed in relation to charges of assault with a weapon, break and enter and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

When the officers told the man he was under arrest, the man sprayed them both with bear spray, Victoria police said in a statement. After a prolonged struggle, the man was handcuffed and taken into custody.

During the struggle, the second man threw a glass bottle that narrowly missed the officers and broke on a nearby wall. That man fled the scene and police continue to look for him.

The first man was taken to police cells and faces charges of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and one count of resisting arrest.

Both officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at the scene by B.C. Emergency Health Services paramedics. They were unable to complete their shifts.



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