Police investigate three assaults with a sensory irritant

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Police are investigating three assaults where a man sprayed three separate women with a sensory irritant last evening in Halifax.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., police received a report of an incident that had occurred 15 minutes earlier in the 1700 block of Market Street. A man approached a man and a woman in a parkade and sprayed a sensory irritant at the woman. The suspect fled the area on foot.

At 6:07 p.m. police responded to two additional incidents that had just occurred where a man had sprayed a woman with a sensory irritant. One incident occurred in the area of Market and Sackville streets and the other occurred on Prince Street between Barrington and Grafton streets. In both incidents, the man sprayed the sensory irritant at the woman as he walked past her.

The suspect is not known to the victims and is described as a white man, approximately 5’10” to 6’ tall with a thin build. He was wearing a black parka with beige fur around the hood, jeans and a dark colored face mask. In the last two incidents, he appeared to be listening to loud music playing from his phone.

The investigations are ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information or video from the area at the time of the incidents to contact police at 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or by using the P3 Tips app.