Police Tackle Riot with Pepper Spray

A riot in Clairton saw 11 assisting police departments, 25 police officers and two dogs working together in order to get the situation under control. Some police officers at the scene also utilized pepper spray on many of the 200 people involved in the riot.

Once police arrived on the scene around 3 a.m., they declared the fight a riot which enabled them to enforce laws that would permit them to arrest anybody who didn’t leave the scene. As a result, 40 minutes later, the riot was finally cleared up which saw the arrest of four people.

While pepper spray wasn’t the only factor involved that helped put an end to the riot, it did facilitate police officers who were at the scene who were able to disable rioters who were refusing to leave the area. Because of this officers found that they were able to get the situation under control in a relatively short amount of time that could have gone on much longer if the self defense device wasn’t available.

Pepper spray, which contains Oleoresin Capsicum (OC), is a device that affects an individual’s senses quickly, which proves that it’s an effective device at hindering offenders. The burning sensation that is produced forces a person into closing their eyes. As a result of this burning sensation, an officer is delivered with plenty of time to remove the individual, thus eliminating a situation from escalating any higher.

Not only that, but these self defense devices can be sprayed from as little as six feet away, which means that officers don’t need to be within proximity to an offender to achieve maximum results. All that is required is that they aim for the nose, mouth or eyes, as these areas have proven to be the most effective at stopping someone.

However, the effects of pepper spray don’t last long, and while the burning sensation is unpleasant and disorientating for the person affected, no harm is produced as a result; which is why many police officers are often found carry these pepper spray devices around with them.

No one wants to get sprayed by such a device, but when you do it certainly won’t be something that you want to experience again.