A Whitehorse teenager who committed three assaults this year escalated in his criminal behaviour, from hitting his girlfriend, to using bear spray in a hotel washroom, to following and punching a stranger on the street.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, appeared in youth court last Friday afternoon for sentencing.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, assault with a weapon and mischief in connection with three incidents earlier this year.

In July, a witness saw him and his girlfriend arguing in Rotary Peace Park.

He smacked her and threw her to the ground.

When RCMP arrested him, his breath smelled of alcohol.

He was released on a promise to appear in court, and one of his conditions was to abstain from drinking.

Two weeks later, he and his friends chased another boy into a washroom at the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel, attempting to fight him.

When an employee entered, he heard the teens talking about kicking the stall door in.

The boy pulled out bear spray and sprayed it in the bathroom, affecting two people inside and a hotel guest walking by the washroom who had to be taken to Whitehorse General Hospital.

He ran away, but police arrested him an hour later at Domino’s Pizza, his breath smelling of alcohol.

Then, at the beginning of September, a tourist was walking his dog along Fourth Avenue when the teen approached him and followed him for about 275 metres, telling him he was going to stab and kill him.

The man knocked on the window of a parked RV, and asked its occupants for help.

The teen then punched the man in the face so hard he smashed the RV window behind him. Ten people were inside having dinner, Crown prosecutor Christiana Lavidas said.

The teen ran off, but one RV occupant followed him and called RCMP. He was arrested and has been in custody since.

Lavidas said the offences were all “quite serious,” but said the latest was most concerning because he attacked a complete stranger.

“He was not with his friends,” she said. “He was on his own. He chased this random person who was walking his dog.”

Defence lawyer Melissa Atkinson said her client, who is of First Nations background, has told her he has a drinking problem and that he needs help.

A psychological assessment done a year ago found he had a difficult childhood, and that he has some cognitive issues. Recently, he’s been living at a group home.

“I understand ... that this has not been easy for you and you have to deal with things a lot of other people don’t have to deal with,” Judge Michael Cozens said to the boy.

He told the judge he hadn’t read the assessment, nor did he know its contents.

He admitted he was depressed and anxious in closed custody, and his depression was why he drank.

Although the assessment says he has cognitive issues, Cozens said, it also says he has the ability to stop and think and make the right choice.

“He just has to find ways to deal with his trigger points and make the right choices,” Cozens said. “I believe that’s quite possible for him.”

The judge noted though, his challenging background was no excuse for what the boy did. These are serious, escalating offences, he said.

If the youth doesn’t change, this sentence will pale in comparison to what lies ahead.

Cozens granted an open custody and supervision order, meaning the teen’s custodial sentence will have a supervision period.

He sentenced the boy to 21 days, time served, for the first assault, 30 days concurrent for assault with a weapon, 60 days consecutive for the second assault, and 30 days concurrent for mischief, as well as 12 months of probation.