LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – A Saturday morning argument outside a Lafayette grocery store took a bizarre and potentially dangerous turn when a woman allegedly sprayed bear deterrent into a group of people — exposing eight victims and sending one to the hospital.
The incident unfolded at about 10:40 a.m. on July 25 in the 3600 block of Mount Diablo Boulevard, according to the Lafayette Police Department. That block includes the Trader Joe’s and Diablo Foods shopping area near Mountain View Drive.
Police said the confrontation began as an argument between two people in the parking lot. During the dispute, a woman sitting inside a vehicle allegedly pointed a canister of bear spray through the driver’s-side window and sprayed the other person.
Rather than ending there, police said the driver allegedly discharged the spray a second time as she drove out of the parking lot.
The powerful chemical irritant spread beyond the people involved in the original confrontation. Eight people were ultimately exposed, according to police.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District crews responded and treated victims at the scene. One person was taken to a hospital. Police have not released additional information about that person’s condition or identified the other people affected.
Witnesses were able to give dispatchers the fleeing vehicle’s license plate number and direction of travel. Officers in neighboring Orinda soon located the vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 24 and detained the driver.
Police identified the arrested woman as 74-year-old Monica Thomas of Oakland. She was booked at the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful use of tear gas.
The charges are allegations, and Thomas is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Bear spray is normally marketed as a last-resort defense against aggressive bears. It contains concentrated capsaicinoids — the compounds responsible for the burning effects of hot peppers — and is designed to create a large cloud capable of stopping a charging animal.
When discharged around people, especially in a crowded parking lot, the spray can affect bystanders who were never part of the original conflict. Exposure can cause intense eye and skin irritation, coughing, breathing difficulty and temporary loss of vision.
Saturday’s incident was also the second reported Lafayette assault involving bear spray in just over two months. In May, police arrested a San Leandro man after bear spray was allegedly used during an assault in the 900 block of Village Center.
Anyone with additional information about the latest incident can contact Lafayette police through the department’s non-emergency line at 925-284-5010.
