Little remorse shown for bear-spray attack

A 19-year-old man showed little remorse following a targeted bear-spray attack against several youths who responded by brandishing machetes in a convenience store last summer, a Crown attorney said in Brandon provincial court Thursday.

Police were called to Circle K on First Street in Brandon on Aug. 24, 2025 after chaos erupted in the store when Xavier Huntinghawk chased and sprayed three male youths with bear spray, Easton Lacey told the court.

Police reviewed footage that showed Huntinghawk enter the store with a man about 30 seconds after the youths walked in.

After Huntinghawk sprayed the youths, the footage showed the group then “pulled out machetes and chased the two that had gone into the store after them out of the Circle K,” Lacey said.

Police later located Huntinghawk and arrested him, she said.

“While he is young, this is still a very serious incident, and it was very brazen. He put many people at risk when he had the opportunity not to go in the store at all,” Lacey said.

The Crown cited comments the accused made in a pre-sentence report in which he appeared to show a lack of remorse for his actions, she said.

“He states that he saw some guys he didn’t like and saw them going into the Circle K, and so while he had the opportunity not to go in, not follow them, not bear spray them, he chose to anyway,” Lacey said.

Huntinghawk made an additional comment in the report, saying, “It is what it is. I kind of care about what I did. I kind of don’t,” she said.

Lacey told the judge Huntinghawk, who has pleaded guilty to the offence, should face a 45-day sentence for the assault-with-a-weapon charge to address deterrence and denunciation.

Defence lawyer Bob Harrison suggested Huntinghawk receive a suspended sentence and complete community service work as a punitive element, emphasizing that rehabilitation should be a primary factor given the accused’s young age.

Harrison said his client experienced a rough childhood and was involved in Child and Family Services. He witnessed violence and was exposed to substance use growing up.

Huntinghawk plans to finish his Grade 12 education and find a job when he gets out of custody, he said.

Judge Patrick Sullivan said the incident was “shocking” and “concerning” to hear about.

“This is the sort of thing that terrifies the average person in Brandon who is, you know, maybe just shopping at Circle K,” Sullivan said.

“I’m grateful to hear no one was hurt.”

Sullivan said he was disappointed to learn the accused wasn’t taking his actions more seriously based on his comments in the report.

“The reason that concerns the court is because at some stage when you’re back in the community … we want to see you thriving, we want to see you out of trouble,” he told Huntinghawk.

“We want to see you not posing a risk or a danger to anyone else.”

He took the Crown’s recommendation and sentenced Huntinghawk to 45 days for the attack and one year of unsupervised probation. He must follow conditions not to contact the youths, possess any weapons or attend Circle K.

Huntinghawk has 407 days of credit for time served at the Brandon Correctional Centre and will remain in custody as he’s pending on charges involving weapons offences, robbery and aggravated assault.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com