Whitefish man faces assault charges after deploying pepper spray

A Whitefish man is denying charges he doused multiple people with pepper spray and struck a man’s head with the spray can in a fight.

Juan Bartolo Rios, 40, is facing assault with a weapon charges stemming from an incident Nov. 20 at a mall in Whitefish. The reporting party told dispatch multiple people were engaged in a fight, and one man was “spraying people with pepper spray and beating people up.”

The incident began when a man allegedly bumped shoulders with Rios as he was leaving a business. Rios reportedly took offense and started berating the man. At one point, Rios took out a can of pepper spray and deployed it in the man’s face. He also struck the man on the head with the can of pepper spray, according to the police report.

When a witness tried to break up the fight, Rios allegedly doused them in pepper spray.

When officers detained Rios, he allegedly had blood on his face. Rios reportedly told police he had not been in a fight and was bleeding from his head due to a cut.

A responding officer reported seeing “small curved lacerations consistent with being struck with the can of pepper spray” on the victim. The officer reported both parties who were doused with pepper spray appeared to be in significant pain.

Rios pleaded not guilty to two felony assault with a weapon charges on Dec. 21 in front of Flathead District Court Judge Dan Wilson. A jury trial is set for April 2, 2018.

Reporter Breeana Laughlin can be reached at 758-4441 or blaughlin@dailyinterlake.com.