3 youths arrested after irritant sprayed inside Halifax-area school

Three youths were arrested after an irritant was sprayed Friday morning at a school in the Halifax area.

Halifax District RCMP says it responded to the incident at Bay View High School in Upper Tantallon, N.S., around 9:30 a.m.

Police say two youths assaulted another youth outside the school. They say the altercation then moved inside, where the third youth sprayed the irritant.

No serious injuries were reported, though police say the three youths and two school employees suffered minor injuries and were treated by EHS.

“Additional individuals, present in the lobby at the time of the incident, may have experienced minor symptoms consistent with cross contamination of an airborne irritant,” reads an RCMP news release.

Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) says the school was put under a lockdown after 10 a.m. as a precaution. It was moved under a hold and secure about 30 minutes later. The hold and secure was lifted around noon.

Police say it was a targeted incident.

The youths have been released on conditions and are scheduled to appear in Halifax Youth Justice Court on Dec. 21.

Police say two of youths will face a charge of assault, while the third will face an assault with a weapon charge.

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