TORRANCE : Pizza Parlor Evacuated; Pepper Spray Blamed
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A children’s pizza parlor was evacuated and several customers were taken to the hospital when someone apparently sprayed the restaurant’s game room with pepper spray, authorities said Monday.
About 300 people were evacuated from a Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant in Torrance on Sunday when fumes, ostensibly from pepper spray, spread through the restaurant, said Torrance Police Lt. Paul Besse.
“People were getting a little crazy, but no one was seriously injured,” said restaurant general manager Mike Coronado.
Eleven people, including at least four children, were treated at hospitals and released, Besse said. Police were investigating the incident but had no suspects Monday, Besse said.
The use of pepper spray for self-defense was legalized in the state this month. Made from an ingredient found in cayenne pepper, the spray causes excruciating pain and breathing problems when blasted into the eyes, nose and mouth.
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