More than a dozen injured in two pepper spray attacks

More than a dozen people were injured in the city on Friday in two separate incidents involving pepper spray.

“Pepper spray is getting out of hand,” said commuter Michael Davis. “New York definitely needs to tighten up because it’s not very cool.”

The first incident occurred near the Union Square subway station. A 77-year-old man sitting on a southbound subway train was sprayed in his face around 10:30 a.m.

He was taken to hospital and is expected to be safe. Police said the suspect fled.

Police have released surveillance footage of the suspect walking through a subway station wearing a blue jacket, blue hat and blue jeans.

After the incident, more than six subway lines creaked to a halt for about 30 minutes. Eventually, all lines resumed operation.

Jimbo Brown said of using the subway, “I don’t use it if I don’t have to.”

“I have three daughters. My daughters came home from school alone and I feel this needs to be rectified.

In Queens, 13 students were treated for injuries sustained after being sprayed with pepper spray, the Department of Education said.

The incident occurred shortly before noon in the cafeteria of Benjamin Cardoso High School in Bayside, resulting in a brief evacuation and lockdown. Police said the suspect in the incident was a 15-year-old boy.

Attorney Andrew Reeve told NY1 that you must be an adult to use the chemical legally.

“According to criminal law, you must be 18 or older to use it,” Reeve said. “You need a so-called self-defense. Primarily what it means is that an emergency has occurred, that it was not you who caused it, that it poses an imminent risk of injury to yourself or someone else. is to produce

Police have not revealed whether there was a motive for either pepper spray incident.

The Department of Education said it is working with the NYPD and FDNY to investigate the incident at Benjamin Cardoso High School.