An incident at the local Walmart this week rightly shook a Kelowna woman and her family.
Marisa Wocks was at Walmart in Kelowna with her mother and two nephews and two daughters, ages 1 and 8 last Wednesday, but they were attacked with bear spray as they left.
Inside they tried to make their way to the pharmacy. She says the children were screaming in pain and they were soon greeted by Walmart staff. They were then directed to eye wash stations and an ambulance was called.
The Kelowna RCMP received a call to tell NowMedia that the 61-year-old Beaverdell man has faced numerous potential criminal charges related to the incident. He was held in police custody to appear before a judge.
The store’s loss prevention and security team reported to the RCMP that a man had given a can of what the RCMP said was bear spray on one of their officers. The Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) was injured while trying to arrest the suspect who allegedly left the store with unpaid groceries outside the main entrance of the store.
“Although the 33-year-old LPO was attacked and felt the immediate effects of the bear spray, he managed to arrest the suspect and keep him in custody until the police arrived at the scene,” says Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesman for the Kelowna RCMP.
“The careless use of the aerosol weapon also injured eight innocent bystanders between the ages of 1 and 61,” says O’Donaghey. “The eight other assault victims who were customers of the department store were medically examined at the scene by the BC Ambulance Service for various levels of exposure to the substance.”
Wocks says they were treated very well by Walmart staff and the paramedics. They put her up with clean, dry clothes as water was poured over theirs. She says she was also given baby soap to dilute the spray. The store reimbursed their groceries and replaced their milk. Despite the kind gestures, she says she and her family felt quite “uncomfortable” after the ordeal, and she hopes the man will be brought to justice.
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