About a dozen people on a Winnipeg bus started choking when they were exposed to something, believed pepper spray, at about 11 p.m. on Saturday night.
They were on bus 47 westbound, at a stop on Narin Avenue, east of Watt Street.
Police said the trouble started at a nearby 7/11 convenience store. A group of three people began to chase a group of five people, who ran onto the bus at the stop.
At that point, someone in the group of three people set off the spray.
Bus riders suffered from burning eyes and skin, and were treated by paramedics, officers said.
Witnesses saw the group of three people run away.
Bus rider Anthony Borden said the incident happened quickly.
"They had something in their hand that exploded, and the whole bus was covered in mace," Anthony said.
"Everyone started panicking and trying to get off the bus, and the bus doors wouldn't open so I had to literally push it open with all my might," he said.
Winnipeg police said over the last few years, attacks with pepper spray have been a constant problem, despite attempts to crack down on the sale of that type of product.
So far, police have made no arrests.
CTV News contacted Winnipeg Transit, but no one was available for comment.
- with a report from CTV's Stacey Ashley
