A teen is in custody following a bear spray incident this morning in a shopping mall.

Patrol officers were dispatched to a mall in the 200 block of 1st Avenue South at approximately 11:30 a.m., September 24, 2019. It was reported to Police that a male had deployed bear spray on the second level of the mall. Upon arrival, officers located the male suspect, who had been detained by mall security.

It was reported to officers that there had been an altercation in front of a store between two people. The suspect deployed bear spray against a 20 year old victim. The suspect attempted to deploy the bear spray a second time against the responding security guards, but was unsuccessful. There were no injuries to anyone else in the mall from the incident. The victim and the suspect are believed to be known to each other.

A 17 year old male is charged with Assault with a Weapon, Possession of a Dangerous Weapon, Carry a Concealed Weapon, Deploying a Noxious Substance and Breach of Probation (x2). He also had a warrant for his arrest.