A North Vancouver man is shaken up after being blasted with bear spray as he surprised a pair of intruders hiding in his bedroom.
The botched burglary happened around 4 p.m. on Feb. 16 in the 2000-block of Seymour Boulevard, according to North Vancouver RCMP. The victim had just returned home and went to open the bedroom door when he was hit with the noxious substance.
Temporarily blinded by the bear spray, the approximately 60-year-old victim stumbled out the door and ran towards the pool house on his property to flush out his eyes. He then sought help from his neighbours and while walking across the street caught a glimpse of the assailants as they ran past him towards their car.
Police describe the suspects as two males in their 20s, Caucasian, slim with clean-cut hair, approximately six feet tall, wearing three-quarter-length dark jackets, dress pants and dress shoes. The vehicle they fled in is described as a small, older model light grey or brown Mercedes four-door.
When the police arrived on the scene they determined a broken, pried window in the master bedroom was how the intruders got into the house. It was also immediately apparent that bear spray had been discharged in the home.
“It certainly affects your vision, your sinuses, you cannot see,” said North Vancouver RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Richard De Jong. “When you are assaulted by bear spray which incapacitates you, whether you are a police officer or a homeowner, there’s a huge concern for public safety.”
Police combed the home for fingerprints and the file is still under investigation, said De Jong, adding it doesn’t appear anything was stolen. As for whether the home was targeted by thieves, De Jong said police don’t know yet as it’s early in the investigation and there’s no one in custody.
“Sometimes these are targeted B&Es and sometimes the bad guys will actually get the wrong house,” said De Jong.
Homeowners interrupting a break-and-enter is not usual, added De Jong, “but you don’t want to be in the way of the exit.”
The victim did not require medical attention. His neighbours, meanwhile, did not report seeing any suspicious activity that day.
Given the afternoon timing of the break-in, police say it reinforces the fact that not all criminal activity occurs under the cover of darkness.
“Your house can be targeted any time of the day, often it’s when people are at work,” said De Jong. “They case your neighbourhood, as it were, to knock on the door to see if anyone’s home, go up and down the street and talk to neighbours.”
