Now You Can Get Pepper-Sprayed While Shopping

For some people, the horrific footage of pepper-spraying at UC Davis has apparently been an inspiration rather than a deterrent. A woman at a California Walmart allegedly pepper-sprayed her fellow shoppers in order to get the stuff she wanted. And in North Carolina, off-duty cops pepper-sprayed shoppers in what appears to have been a misunderstanding.

CNN reports that the woman sprayed fifteen other people at an LA-area Walmart (see video above) last night before paying for her items and leaving. So far, she apparently hasn’t been caught. According to the New York Daily News, the woman was trying to keep other people away from coveted merchandise. Says Lt. Abel Parga of the LAPD, “Somehow she was trying to use [the pepper spray] to gain an upper hand.” Wonder who she learned that from.

In another pepper-spray incident, security guards at a Kinston, North Carolina Walmart sprayed 20 people, including kids, when a man fell onto a cell phone display. According to WITN, the guards, who were off-duty police officers, thought a fight had broken out. A shopper caught part of the incident on video (at left) — you can see customers apparently reacting to the smell of the spray. No injuries have been reported yet, but it’s nice to know that a substance that feels like “hot glass” is enjoying increased popularity, just in time for the holidays.

Customers Hit By Pepper Spray At Wal-Mart Describe Scene Of Chaos [LA Times]
Black Friday Turns Ugly At Los Angeles Wal-Mart: Shopper Pepper Sprays Crowd To Get Deal, 20 Injured [NY Daily News]
NEW VIDEO: YouTube Video Shows Pepper Spray At Kinston Walmart [WITN]