A 74-year-old Oakland woman was arrested Saturday after allegedly spraying bear spray during an argument outside a Lafayette grocery store, exposing eight people to the chemical irritant.
The incident happened around 10:40 a.m. on July 25 in the 3600 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Lafayette police responded to reports of a disturbance and learned that a woman had sprayed bear spray before driving away.
Witnesses provided officers with the suspect’s vehicle description, license plate and direction of travel. Orinda police later located the vehicle on westbound Highway 24 and detained the driver.
Investigators said the altercation began between two people in the store’s parking lot. During the dispute, the suspect allegedly sprayed bear spray out of the driver’s side window at another person. As she drove away, she reportedly sprayed it a second time before leaving the parking lot.
Eight people were exposed to the bear spray. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District crews treated the victims at the scene, and one person was taken to a hospital.
The suspect, identified as 74-year-old Monica Thomas of Oakland, was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful use of tear gas.
Good! I’m glad they arrested and booked her!
That could have killed someone in ill health.
Very shocking she was from Oakland.
Right! They come to Lafayette because it’s Safer………but they can’t control/ Behave themselves!!
“They”?
Do you mean female senior citizens?
Even if it had been self defense bear spray isn’t legal to use on humans & she probably would still have been arrested… but it sure is effective.