All articles tagged with #pepper spray
New York Times and Texas Tribune reveal that Texas’ statewide push to place police on campuses has coincided with thousands of use-of-force incidents—pepper spray, Tasers, and takedowns—often for minor misbehavior, raising questions about safety, accountability, and the role of officers in schools amid legislative tweaks and data gaps.
An NYT/Express-News investigation shows Texas’ expansive program of placing police in public schools has produced thousands of use-of-force incidents—pepper spray, Tasers, takedowns and even handcuffing young students—for relatively minor misbehavior. Records cite more than 2,600 incidents from 2022–2025, with about 450 described in detail, across districts large and small; some cases involve elementary students and a 6-year-old. Oversight is fragmented, with no state-level review, while schools emphasize safety from shootings, fueling debate over discipline, trauma, and accountability.
Democratic Senator Andy Kim says he was pepper sprayed by federal agents during a protest at Newark's Delaney Hall ICE detention facility, where detainees were staging a hunger strike over conditions and medical care. Clashes between protesters and ICE escalated as officers moved to transfer a detainee, with Kim attempting to de-escalate before being sprayed; DHS blamed rioters for the violence while lawmakers condemned the treatment and called for accountability and reform.
About 1,000 animal-rights protesters tried to breach Ridglan Farms’ beagle breeding facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, but police repelled the crowd with rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas; a pickup-truck driver was arrested for driving through the gate, and the group’s leader, Wayne Hsiung, was later arrested amid a second aggressive try after March dog seizures from the site.
Police say a counterprotester pepper-sprayed participants at an anti-Islam protest near Gracie Mansion in NYC, then another person lit and threw a taped device containing nuts, bolts and screws toward the crowd; three people were arrested and authorities are investigating, with no injuries reported. The incident involved figures tied to conservative influencer Jake Lang, who has prior charges and recently announced a run for US Senate in Florida.
Five people carrying cash in suitcases were pepper-sprayed in Tokyo's Ueno, with about ¥423 million reportedly stolen; hours later at Haneda Airport a second group carrying around ¥190 million was pepper-sprayed, but nothing was taken. Police say the incidents are linked and involve money-exchange workers delivering cash to China/Hong Kong.
Images of a Border Patrol agent pepper-spraying a man who was being pinned by fellow officers during a Minnesota immigration operation sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from local officials. The incident, captured on video and publicized by protesters and media, has intensified disputes over federal enforcement tactics and the use of force, amid ongoing lawsuits and court rulings that have tried to limit such actions.
An Eighth Circuit panel granted an administrative stay, temporarily lifting a district court injunction that had restricted how ICE agents interact with protesters in Minnesota, including bans on pepper spray, while the Trump administration pursues the appeal.
Kristi Noem initially denied that federal agents used pepper spray against Minneapolis protesters, then conceded that chemical irritants were deployed only during violence. The episode adds to rising tensions as ICE enforcement under the Trump administration continues, with the Pentagon preparing up to 1,500 troops for possible deployment, a DOJ probe into disruption at a church tied to an ICE official, and reports of protesters being denied access to attorneys.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem initially denied that federal officers used pepper spray and other chemical agents restricted by a court order during Minnesota protests, but after video evidence emerged she backtracked, blaming protesters and saying agents deploy such measures only when violence occurs.
A federal judge ordered ICE to limit crowd-control tactics against peaceful protesters in Minneapolis, barring arrests and pepper-spray against peaceful demonstrators and restricting vehicle stops without reasonable suspicion, ahead of planned weekend protests. The ruling stems from a December lawsuit; DHS says it will uphold the law and protect officers, the White House criticized the decision, and the DOJ announced an investigation into Minnesota leaders over alleged attempts to impede federal immigration operations.
A federal judge in Minneapolis issued an 80-page ruling barring ICE and Homeland Security from arresting peaceful protesters or using pepper spray and other nonlethal crowd-control tools, and from stopping vehicles near protests, in response to demonstrations tied to Operation Metro Surge; the decision comes amid tensions with local officials after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good and could face an appeal from the Trump administration.
James Atkins of Newark was arrested for felony assault after a road rage incident where he blocked a woman's exit and pepper sprayed her, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries and a $10,000 bond.
A DoorDash driver in Indiana was arrested for allegedly pepper-spraying a customer's food, claiming she did so to kill a spider, but authorities believe otherwise. The incident, captured on a doorbell camera, led to felony battery and consumer product tampering charges, and the driver’s access to the platform has been permanently revoked.
Federal agents pepper sprayed a family, including a 1-year-old girl, during clashes in Cicero amid ongoing immigration enforcement operations in Little Village, Chicago, leading to community outrage and political condemnation amid reports of violence and attacks on law enforcement.