'There were families on the ground and people were crying': Ex-goer describes bear spray attack
Bear spray incidents at the Saskatoon Ex have prompted Prairieland Park to look at beefing up security measures at the gates.
Mace was deployed in three separate incidents during the annual fair and it’s causing organizers and fair goers to re-evaluate the event which sees thousands of adults and children attend.
Roderick Daniels was at the grandstand with his family watching the Trooper concert Saturday night. The moment he realized bear spray was being released, he grabbed his 11-month-old son and ran.
“This is the most scared I’ve been as a parent. I cried a few times. I never want to experience this again,” Daniels told CTV News.
“I was running out of there. My baby was puking and foaming at the mouth, so that’s where I went into panic mode, he said.
Daniels says his son seemed to be back to normal health two days later.
He posted a Tik Tok video after the event expressing his anger at the random attack.
“There were families on the ground and people were crying. I saw six or seven children getting washed with milk, juice or water,” he says.
Daniels would like to see increased security at the fair to make it safer.
Saskatoon police want people to know the severity of using bear spray.
“It’s considered a weapon so anything that can be done to reduce the chance of getting something like this inside is a good thing,” Alyson Edwards with the Saskatoon Police Service told CTV News.
Prairieland Park released this statement earlier Monday:
"This is a new challenge for the fair industry as a whole, and in the future, we will be looking to technology to assist us. Prairieland is already researching body scanners and metal detectors to be used at large-scale public events on the park," the statement read.
"Given the nature of this incident, police are confident they’ll find those responsible. “We are fortunate, we have witnesses and the can of bear spray we believe was involved so our investigators have evidence to work with,” Edwards said.
Officers were already on scene and responded along with Medavie Health Services. Troy Davies says they used specially designed medical wipes on the pepper spray victims and not water.
“It kept our paramedics extremely busy this week. It’s the first time we’ve seen it at the Ex since we’ve been involved since 1999 that I can think of,” Davies said.
Davies says 50 people were treated on site for injuries like burns to their eyes and skin.
Prairieland Park confirmed this year’s event saw a total attendance of almost 226,000.
As for Daniels and his young son, he won’t let this incident prevent him from attending again, but says he’ll be on his guard next time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.