Artytoons

I work in a medium sized (20 stories) highrise in one of the middle floors (9th floor to be exact). The building has a parking garage with a section for bicycles.


Bike thieves attempts to break in to the bike storage area around 10:30am on Tuesday March 28. A building guard spotted the thieves and the thieves sprayed the guard with pepper spray and got away. The air ventilation system in the building carried the pepper spray mist to the main lobby where it had to be evacuated. The spray carried over into the lower floors including the 9th floor where people sitting in the middle section of the floor near the elevators started coughing loudly. I sit close to the outer section of the the floor by the windows and felt my throat getting dry and sore...as if I chowed down on a very spicy peppery breakfast and feeling the after effects. Had a cup full of ice water enough to still have my voice. A "stay in place" order was given by the building security for the building's occupants and things were re-opened during the noon lunch hour. Throat was a little scratchy overnight but it seems okay now. Considering it was not a pleasant experience being 9 floors up, it must have been ugly in the close affected areas.

I think the guard who got sprayed was okay...I didn't hear any ambulance or police car sirens during the whole time. A few other familiar guards in the morning shift showed up for work today.

The night before, some teenage girl spritzed pepper spray in a shopping mall close to my neighborhood for some unknown reason and 16 people had to go the hospital to get checked out...luckily I didn't go shopping at that time.

Pepper Spray works in the right hands to ward off attackers...too bad the wrong hands used it.