Ottawa police confirmed Saturday that an investigation was continuing into the release of a noxious substance Friday evening in the busy Rideau Centre shopping mall downtown.
Officers were dispatched at about 6:30 p.m. “in response to a substance that was deployed” at the mall, police said in a statement.
While police did not identify the substance, several social-media messages described it as bear spray. The popular mall was busy with pre-Christmas shoppers at the time.
“No injured parties were identified,” police added. However, several online messages described victims being sickened by the substance.
Bear spray, a form of pepper spray, is classified as a prohibited weapon under the Criminal Code of Canada.
A suspect had already fled the area by the time police arrived.
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