Moviegoers pepper-sprayed during foreign film showing in Surrey, B.C.
Police are investigating after moviegoers were pepper-sprayed during a screening of a Sri Lankan film at a multiplex in Surrey, B.C., over the weekend.
Authorities said the incident happened at the Landmark Cinemas location in Guildford at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
A man allegedly walked into a theatre showing the Sinhalese-language film Gajaman, discharged pepper spray at the audience, then fled the scene.
Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha of the Surrey RCMP said it's unclear whether the suspect sought to target people viewing that particular movie.
"We're looking into whether that theatre was specifically targeted for that reason, because of the language of the movie," Sangha told CTV News. "We're looking into all those aspects."
There were 20 to 30 people watching Gajaman at the time, including children. Paramedics treated affected moviegoers at the scene, but no one was seriously injured.
Surrey RCMP said they are working with other law enforcement agencies to determine if there is any connection between the pepper spray attack and similar incidents that happened at theatres in Edmonton, Alta., and Kanata, Ont.
Sangha could not confirm whether the same movie was showing during the other incidents.
Authorities asked any possible witnesses who haven't already spoken with investigators to come forward. They are also looking for dash cam video recorded in the area around the multiplex between 5:20 p.m. and 5:40 p.m. Saturday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.