On February 09th, 2022, the Airdrie RCMP was called to a 'road rage' incident that occurred at the intersection of Veterans Blvd. and Edmonton Trail.

"We got the call at 16:52 hrs," wrote RCMP Corporal Gina Slaney. "One of the males involved in the road rage incident used bear spray to protect himself from the other male."

Due to high winds, two children who were nearby were cross-contaminated with the bear spray.

"There was no intent to harm the children and this was not a random act," Slaney wrote. "I can’t name the parties involved but we do have their identities. Medical assistance was offered but not required. No charges were pursued."

One of the bystanders who was involved in the incident, a 15-year-old girl (whose identity will remain anonymous), recounted what had happened to her and her friend. The girl and her friend who were both on bikes were on their way to the store to grab snacks.

"I live nearby Genesis Place, so I took, I took the long way around to get to Superstore because I wanted to go get some spinach dip," she said. "At about 4:30 [P.M.] ish, is when we got sprayed. We were going along the road, right next to the highway [next to the] Wendy's, Tim Hortons, [and the ]car dealership."

The two girls stopped, realizing their eyes were burning.

"I looked ahead for a second because I had to keep an eye on where I was going because I was biking. It felt like there were aphids in my eyes, but the thing is that it's obviously winter right now," she said. "Then I started to taste something in my throat and my mouth and then it started to burn even more."

She crashed into her friend, sending the other girl into a concrete wall. The girl alleges her friend suffered a concussion

"I started crying because it really hurt. I was in hysterics. My friend was crying as well, but she was able to call her dad because she was able to see a lot better than me," she said. "I didn't really regain good eyesight for about two to three hours."

The father of the other bystander arrived with a police officer, who, according to the witness had been in the area looking for the individuals who had been involved in the road rage incident.

"I couldn't call my parents because my mom is deaf and my dad lives in British Columbia. So I called my sister and I told her this situation," she said. "Then my friend's dad came and he brought a bunch of water and he just absolutely doused me with it. The police came to take statements."

The witness said an off-duty paramedic who happened upon the scene came to check on the girls.

"I'm so grateful for [her]. She pulled over and she flushed my eyes out. I kept chugging some water to get rid of the burning in my throat," she said. "My brother and my sister showed up and then they checked on me and I'm a pretty stubborn person. I still wanted to go to the store and get my spinach dip." 

The girl alleged that no one stopped to help.

"There were a whole bunch of cars and a whole bunch of people. I was sobbing and almost falling and absolutely nobody pulled over to help us. It wasn't until cops were there, that people even tried to help us," she said. 

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