29 at Restaurant Treated for Airborne Irritant
THOUSAND OAKS — Twenty-nine people received medical treatment Wednesday night, including six who were taken to hospitals, after someone released a toxic substance--likely pepper spray--in a restaurant, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 7:30 p.m., during the dinner rush at Lotus Garden at 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. near Westlake Boulevard, said Joe Luna, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.
When emergency crews arrived, they immediately evacuated the restaurant and began examining the affected patrons and employees, Luna said.
Five of the victims were taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, and a sixth was transported to St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo, Luna said. All the victims complained that their eyes were burning.
Investigators said pepper spray or Mace may have been sprayed into an air-conditioning system, then spread throughout the restaurant.
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