Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
An unrepentant gang member who blasted bear spray in the face of a store clerk has been sentenced to probation.
Apparently, the young offender didn’t care about the pain and suffering he’d caused the clerk.
"I don’t know how he felt and I don’t care either," the teen reportedly told a probation officer following the attack.
The teen was sentenced in Brandon court on Tuesday.
Crown attorney Jim Ross said the clerk was "frantic" with pain.
Bear spray is even more painful than the pepper spray carried by police officers, he said.
"The pain was intense," Ross said. "His face was burning and he was having trouble breathing."
The attack happened at 5:30 a.m. on April 14.
A 40-year-old man was working at a city convenience store alone when two young men entered.
One young man got a slushie and placed it on the counter. He then ducked as the second young man blasted the clerk in the face with bear spray.
The two suspects then fled.
Meanwhile, an ambulance took the victim to hospital where he was noted to be crying and struggling to breathe.
Ross said the 14-year-old came to the attention of police after bragging of the attack at his group home.
While nothing appears to have been taken, the teen told police that he’d intended to rob the store. He told a psychologist that he thought spraying the clerk would be fun.
He claims to have demanded money, but the clerk doesn’t remember any such demand.
Either way, Ross said, it was a random attack on a member of the community.
The teen ultimately pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching release orders on two different dates.
Ross said the youth is a proud member of the Young Bucks street gang, which is tied to the Indian Posse.
The offender has a drug and alcohol problem, and may have social anxiety disorders.
As part of his sentence, he’s to be assessed for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta noted that the teen could have been sentenced to jail.
But, instead, she opted to impose 18 months probation with counselling and 80 hours of community service.
The teen was assessed as easily influenced and there was a risk he would be led astray by other inmates if sent to jail.
A specialized foster home was the better option, she decided.
That would limit bad influences and bad choices, she said.
» ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition September 27, 2012
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An unrepentant gang member who blasted bear spray in the face of a store clerk has been sentenced to probation.
Apparently, the young offender didn’t care about the pain and suffering he’d caused the clerk.
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An unrepentant gang member who blasted bear spray in the face of a store clerk has been sentenced to probation.
Apparently, the young offender didn’t care about the pain and suffering he’d caused the clerk.
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