Pepper spray suspected of sickening 11 at J.C. Penney in Antioch
The apparent release of pepper spray inside a J.C. Penney department store in Antioch on Tuesday night is believed to have caused 11 people to have trouble breathing, officials said Wednesday.
A hazardous materials team evacuated the store on the 4900 block of Slatten Ranch Road off Highway 4 about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, within several hours of first receiving reports of the mysterious substance, said Steve Aubert, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
The team did some air sampling and testing of different areas within the store, concluding that the cause was likely pepper spray, Aubert added.
Eleven people initially reported having respiratory problems, including two who were taken to a hospital in non-life-threatening condition, Aubert said.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Pepper-spray-suspected-of-sickening-of-11-at-11219486.php
