SCHOOL LOCKDOWN: ‘Altercation’ with bear spray closes high school in Brampton

A Brampton high school was on lockdown following an incident where six people were treated for exposure to what’s believed to be bear spray.

Peel Regional Police say North Park Secondary School has been put on lockdown on Thursday following what’s been called an “altercation between students.”

Investigators said the incident “may have involved an irritant spray” and a spokesperson for Peel Regional Paramedic Services confirmed EMS were called to the school and treated six individuals.

Police believe the irritant was bear spray and paramedics said the injuries were related to the irritant. The person who let off the spray was gone by the time officers arrived on the scene, police said.

The school was locked down as a precaution and evacuated to allow the spray to dissipate, but classes have since resumed.

The lockdown was lifted around 12 p.m. and came just two days after the Peel District School Board welcomed back students to school in Mississauga and Brampton.

Lockdowns are usually more serious than a hold-and-secure order, which are put in place due to security threats or criminal activity outside of a school.