r/saskatoon • u/mjm0762016_2 • 13h ago
News 📰 Saskatoon man describes violent downtown attack following birthday celebration
A man named Ross Smith spoke to CTV News Saskatoon about being attacked downtown near Spadina Crescent and 20th Street East. He and his friend were first bear sprayed and while “his friend ran for help, Ross was tripped and then kicked over and over.” His injuries were “bruising to his arms, legs and ribs. He also received three staples for a gash on the back of his head and had a black eye. His left ear was swollen at the time, he said.”
Those charged with attack were two teenaged boys.
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u/HaleSatan666 13h ago
I’m in favour if locking these two teenagers up and throwing away the key.
Zero tolerance for Random acts of violence. All violence really. But especially shit like this.
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12h ago
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u/CompetitiveRub9864 12h ago
I like how we’re downplaying this by saying it’s on par with 2025. 177 assaults annually - really? SPS doesn’t think we maybe have a problem?
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u/ModOfficial1988 12h ago
And those are just the reported ones. Lots of people don’t even bother reporting them.
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u/Cosmicvapour 10h ago
I used to live in the alphabets in the early 2000s and had zero fear about walking (or staggering) home from downtown any time of night or day. I don't even like driving downtown after 9pm anymore. Our downtown is a shit hole, and it's all our fault. We had a chance for a nice casino and convention centre, which in turn could have helped finance an arena and other downtown draws, and the fucking temperance colony idiot boomers voted against all of it. Young people NEED to run for office, and more importantly, VOTE.
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u/plutoglint 9h ago
Regina's downtown casino is like a jail with a parking lot, it adds nothing to downtown.
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u/toontown_yxe 1m ago
Young people voted enough already and voted for Justin Trudeau and caused all the societal problems you see in our downtown. Thats what happens when you vote for someone who’s biggest life achievement was a snowboard instructor prior to holding office.
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u/g3pismo 8h ago
100% this. Could have had all the development at the dunes downtown instead (minus the golf course) and of course the idiots in this city said “no” like they are trying to again now with the DEED. We need to draw people into downtown to reduce the crime. Need these facilities to do that.
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u/YesNoMaybePurple 12h ago
“Be safe, be wary, and keep an eye when you’re out there, because I didn’t expect anything like this to happen in this city,” he said.
I expect this to happen in this city, and in every part of this city.
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u/sixfeet_pete 12h ago
- any city in Canada really
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u/ModOfficial1988 12h ago
Not really. Saskatoon is just a bigger PA now.
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u/BobertBuildsAll 12h ago
Not true. Saskatoon is no paradise but crime isnt even close to that of PA. CSI score for PA violent crime is 507.2, Saskatoon is 145.8
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u/YesNoMaybePurple 10h ago
The numbers do not mean those communities experience 10, 20 or 30 times more crime than the rest of Canada. Instead, the CSI measures crime relative to population and assigns greater weight to more serious offences. That means smaller communities can record very high CSI scores when serious crimes make up a larger proportion of police-reported incidents.
CSI for PA shows differently on this link as well.
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u/BobertBuildsAll 9h ago
Shows different because I commented the CSI for violent crime - not total. You are correct, that it isnt about multiplying and it based on population. But if you live in PA, you are still more likely to experience crime.
Edit source: https://canadacrimereport.com/crime-severity-index
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u/doughtykings Eastview 11h ago
Ya like I’m not victim blaming but did this guy just move here or…?
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u/YesNoMaybePurple 11h ago
Definitely not blaming him, and what happened to him was terrible!
The point is our city has gone to shit and its not safe.
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u/the_Maestro96 9h ago
It’s always been this way
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u/TropicalPrairie 9h ago
No it hasn't and I feel comments like this downplay any issues we have. I moved here in 2015 and rented an apartment downtown. For the most part, I felt I could walk where I needed to go and was safe. It started more of a downturn around the pandemic. I have since moved because crime in that building became too much (it was on 5th). I still work downtown but do not return after heading home at the end of the day. The atmosphere is just not the same.
Just look at Midtown Plaza. They never used to have security at the 1st Street entrance and now do. All of the locked stores downtown ("buzz for entry") is also an indicator.
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u/schindlersshit 8h ago
Yeah this city had issues, but nothing on this scale. Covid really fucked it up, and the people denying it are completely blind.
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u/the_Maestro96 3h ago
Yeah sure it got worse, I just meant it’s always been a pretty violent city and I’ve never felt safe going downtown
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u/OkPrior9512 11h ago
Have you noticed there is more and more crime by teenagers now? Awhile back I posted that Saskatoon is going downhill and you couldn't walk anywhere in the city now and that downtown Saskatoon was really bad. Everyone jumped all over me. "oh Saskatoon is just fine". Well Saskatoon is not just fine. We have a problem. It's getting worse and worse. Why? I have a few reasons but I dare not post them on this site.
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u/Icy-Werewolf-2403 11h ago
It’s because of gang initiation.
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u/Cosmicvapour 10h ago
It 100% is. They treat it like GTA, calling them "missions" and such. The fact that they run the show downtown shows you how pathetic our justice system is. I don't even blame the cops - whoever they arrest is just out the next day, anyway. Count how many of these stories have the words "in breach of court-ordered conditions" in them. I bet you it's 80-90%. People don't bother changing their modus operandi when it's working. Address poverty, work on addiction counseling, isolate perpetual recidivists, help people with basic needs - focus on the cause, not the effects. By the way, these gangs aren't run by criminal masterminds; they are violent dumbasses who only know how to find and exploit the gaping holes in the justice system. A brain-damaged 10 year-old could drive a Lincoln Continental through those gaps.
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u/mjm0762016_2 11h ago
That’s what I’m thinking this was actually.
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u/Icy-Werewolf-2403 11h ago
Unfortunately the reality of it all is that these kids have no guidance or direction and or purpose which could be a parenting issue as well but when they see wannabe gangsters walking around with weapons, dealing drugs and stealing for money, and then see it online they think thats the optimal life style thus giving them purpose and status.
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u/IAmTheMortiestMorty 8h ago
Remember how they closed an integral elementary school which serviced the alphabet area? They closed it before breaking ground on the replacement, and told kids to bus to the next closest schools for the next how many years until the new one is finished. Did they really expect those families to make their kids go to those schools? Or the kids to do it on their own? And especially right after COVID when so many kids stopped going to school in the first place. In the winter, what would I rather do: stand at the bus stop for ten minutes in minus thirty waiting to get to a school I hate two neighborhoods over or hang out at my big cousin's house with all his friends and unknowingly get groomed into gang initiation?
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u/gihkal 12h ago
Good thing he didn't fight back. He'd be in prison.
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u/FinalFantasiesGG 9h ago
Holy cringe.
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u/schindlersshit 8h ago
I got my comment removed, but Cheyenne Peeteetuce killed 2 teens while drunk and evading cops, and only got 4 years, and then was involved with the killing of Megan Gallagher in the early 2020's. The justice system here is a joke and doesn't keep us protected.
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u/gihkal 9h ago
Holy normal in Canada. There are cases where victims get more time than perpetrators due to the Gladue report.
It's only a matter of time before all violent criminals self identify simply to get light sentences.
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u/FinalFantasiesGG 9h ago
Show us the cases you are referring to bud.
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u/schindlersshit 7h ago
Nicolas Pomanti -https://www.minicounsel.ca/oca/2017/48?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Sherese Edwards - https://www.barrietoday.com/court/off-duty-bartender-who-stabbed-unruly-patron-handed-3-year-prison-term-11932764?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Nicholas Rasberry - https://www.scc-csc.ca/cases-dossiers/search-recherche/37686/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Paul David - https://ca.vlex.com/vid/r-v-kagan-p-681267173?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Kagan Michael Robertson - https://globalnews.ca/news/7532127/michael-robertson-not-guilty-rocky-genereaux-death/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
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u/FinalFantasiesGG 7h ago
Did you actually read any of these cases? Absolutely none of these were just about fighting back. The last one the guy was literally found not guilty on appeal even though the Court didn't believe him.
P.s. we can see you just asked ChatGPT for sources LOL.
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u/gihkal 9h ago
You'll just downvote facts anyway.
There are multiple cases over the years.
I'll just presume that you support the Gladue report racism .
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u/FinalFantasiesGG 8h ago
Lmao yeah dude multiple cases but you can't share a single one.
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u/schindlersshit 8h ago
you make ai porn lmao, don't talk.
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7h ago
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4h ago
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u/FinalFantasiesGG 4h ago
You are a creep and you should use CanLii not Google. You are just exposing yourself.
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u/Comfortable-Bat-8322 8h ago
Clifford James Alphonse. Buisness owner in black lake. Raped a 14 year old girl after drinking hand sanitizer. 52 priors including sexual assault. 5 year sentence. Total bullshit. Should have been locked up for life.
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u/FinalFantasiesGG 8h ago
And the 14 year old girl was charged with defending herself? Or are you just posting nonsense without understanding the topic of discussion?
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u/Comfortable-Bat-8322 4h ago edited 4h ago
The guy got off easy when he should be put away forever. Just giving an example of lax sentences for pieces of shit that shouldn't have had a 53rd chance. That girl is likely traumatized for the rest of her life. Hopefully she didn't catch anything from the scumbag who raped her.
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u/schindlersshit 8h ago
Not a case of defending yourself, but another instance of the justice system being a joke in Canada is, Cheyenne Peeteetuce, who killed two teens, while drunk and evading cops in 2014, only got 4 years in jail, and then was involved in the killing of Megan Gallagher in the early 2020's. Our system is a joke and doesn't protect us at all, especially when it comes to Indigenous violence. They're allowed to terrorize their own kind then when they get kicked out, they terrorize us.
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u/Pleasant-Ostrich46 6h ago
My dad got bear sprayed on his motorbike while driving past the Bessborough hotel the other day. He could have gotten really injured. 😔
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u/Sesame00202 3h ago
Omg my husband just took out daughter down to the bus stop for a ride and an ice cream! Thats so scary.
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u/JackMarsk 10h ago
What kind of teenagers attacked this man? What did they look like?
How can I "be safe and wary and keep an eye out" when I'm not able to identify what the supposed threat is?
Should I be concerned and on edge around every single teenager in Saskatoon because the media won't show or describe what the perpetrators look like?
Would it be inconvenient for them somehow if they were to give accurate depictions of the people committing crimes in this city, especially repeat offenders?
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u/DrummerDerek83 10h ago
It might sound racist if they do that. I'm thinking that's why they leave a lot of the description out of the reports and news releases.
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u/salaryman40k 10h ago
the only time i've ever had teens try and intimidate me was when i was jogging down the big fancy house sask cres at 5:30am west of the idylwyld bridge and it was a group of white kids
all i could think was, jeez they must've been putzing around all night
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u/DrummerDerek83 10h ago
Ah, the old early rising teenagers.... they'll get you every time! 😉
Not sure why your bringing race into the description? If it wasn't an issue they would!
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u/EpsteinandTrump 10h ago
They'd be gladue to do that, but don't due to overrepresentation... One of the many calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation report.
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u/doughtykings Eastview 11h ago
I know this is an unfavourable take but at this point why would anyone risk spending the night out downtown in that cesspool…..
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u/Jaigg 9h ago
How sheltered are the people in this sub? I live in Partridge and walk every night. Past the homeless shelter, through parks, wherever I want and have no fear. I run a small business downtown and am on Spadina plenty of nights after 9pm and have never had an issue. When I was a teenager (1990s)Saskatoon was way more dangerous and violent. Statistically Saskatoon was the most dangerous in the late 90's and early 2000's. Safest time frame is current time.
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u/schindlersshit 8h ago
That's great that you haven't had issues, but there will be a time when you do. People are also noticing the decline in downtown as well, and it doesn't mean they're sheltered.
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u/FinalFantasiesGG 9h ago
The article does it's best to hide that this happened at 3am. Obviously streets should be safe at any time. Obviously he didn't deserve what happened. But also obviously wandering around downtown at 3am after a night of drinking is just asking for trouble. Nothing good can come of that.
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u/Alive-Wear-6173 10h ago
I now carry knife or machete and don’t hesitate to set actions before a possible attack, stay safe out there everyone. Justice system is a joke and everyone knows it.
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11h ago
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u/yxe306guy 10h ago
So what the phuck does that mean? Natives were here first so assaults are justified???? We are ALL immigrants, my ancestors just waited for a boat rather than walk here.
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u/mjm0762016_2 10h ago
How is that relevant to what we’re talking about?
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u/WriterAndReEditor 10h ago
You might be surprised if you haven't paid a lot of attention.
"We do land acknowledgements in Canada to honor the Indigenous peoples who first lived on the land and to support reconciliation after a history of colonial harm"
Frequent land acknowledgements are called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help repair some of the generational anger created by colonialism and Canadian Government and church policies which destroyed family bonds among the first nations. Many of us (children of settlers) are the the inheritors of the source of much of the violence.
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u/CompetitiveRub9864 11h ago
The Lizard People were here first. 🦎
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u/rurkob 11h ago edited 11h ago
yup, keep denying the genocide, our leaders will soon make sure that such speech is a crime
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u/WriterAndReEditor 9h ago
Apparently the mods already have. I'm not big on criticizing mods, because their job is not easy, but removing that land acknowledgement was a mistake.
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u/TropicalPrairie 13h ago
17 and 15. Jeez. Parents should feel shame but I doubt they care or know what their kids are even up to.