North Bay police searching for suspects dressed as 'creepy clowns'

Police in North Bay, Ont. say they've received a pair of calls within a week about people reportedly dressing up as clowns and the service says it's no laughing matter.

A number of law enforcement agencies across North America have reported people dressing up as clowns and chasing or harassing victims.

In North Bay, police reported being called Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. to the Kate Pace Way, where a person dressed as a clown was allegedly crouching in bushes near the fire station and scaring three children on bicycles.

The suspect, described as wearing a red shirt, black pants and a clown mask, was gone when police arrived, according to a media release from the North Bay Police Service.

That incident followed another call to police on October 6 around 8:30 p.m., when officers were called to West Ferris School after three people were seen wearing clown costumes.

Police said officers "extensively" searched the area, without finding anyone.

"While dressing up as a clown is not against the law, police can charge a person criminally if there are grounds to believe he or she committed acts of mischief, or threatened, assaulted, or harassed others," North Bay police stated in a press release.