Dozens injured after man sprays bear repellent inside Florida Bath and Body Works, police say

[jmbar2]

Source: WFLA.com

MIAMI (WFLA) — Dozens of people were injured at a South Florida mall on Saturday when police say a man sprayed a bear repellent inside a Bath and Body Works before stealing two bags of candles.

....

According to police, at least 35 people were injured when the suspect sprayed the repellent. Most of the victims were treated at the scene.

Read more: https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/dozens-injured-after-man-sprays-bear-repellent-inside-florida-bath-and-body-works-police-say/

---

Who among us has not wanted revenge on Bath and Body Works for forcing us to breathe that shit?

Seriously though, this is terrorism.

[Walleye]

1. Why is that stuff even legal? Nobody has to go into the bear's habitat and challenge it

[jmbar2]

5. The scented candles or the bear spray?

I can think of good uses for bear spray.

[Walleye]

7. Good question. I hate the scented candles. I've seen too many people standing outside of house fires

wrapped in blankets. Watching their house burned because they thought candles were so romantic. Still the bear spray is a chemical weapon and it’s not being used against bears in this situation. And yes I would want some if I encountered a bear in the woods. Can’t think of any time I would want a scented candle

[hlthe2b]

11. Ditto. The licorice smell that permeates from Yankee Candle stores makes me absolutely nauseous

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

27. If only I was...

...the all-being master of time, space and store names:
Yankee Candle => Vulture Repellent 'R US
Bed, Bath & Beyond => Bed, Bath & Barf
[fill in your choice toxic perfume] => Making Maggots Cry, Inc.

Some of these products must violate the Geneva accords.

[hlthe2b]

10. That's a respone lacking in all understanding. As an avid hiker it is an absolute necessity

even on well-traveled trails. I've never had to use it, but along with bear bells on the dog (or avalanche beacons in the wintertime), it is mandatory equipment out West, even on many suburban trails.

No, you don't need it in Atlanta or NYC, or KC, or any other urban environs. But bear spray saves both animal and human lives out west, providing a viable alternative to guns for self-protection. THAT is a good thing.

It is ABSOLUTELY illegal to use on humans, however. Only in imminent self-defense would it be defensible.

[Walleye]

13. Of course you are right, and I suppose anything can be used as a weapon against humans

[obamanut2012]

12. It is absolutely necessary

And, has saved lives of folks I know. I always carry it whenever I go into the wilderness in any way.

[Walleye]

14. OK I take it back! I'm sure I would want some if I encountered a bear as well

I’m sure I would want a gun if I were out in the wild hostile animals too. Unfortunately it’s the urban and suburban environments that seem to get a lot of these weapons

[left-of-center2012]

18. ...

US authorities are searching for a grizzly bear that killed a woman in Montana after dragging her from her tent in the middle of the night.

Leah Lokan, a 65-year-old nurse from California, had stopped over in the town of Ovando during a cycling trip.

During the attack on Tuesday, her fellow campers used bear spray to force the animal out of their camping site.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57763443

[Walleye]

22. I take it back, already.

[mpcamb]

2. Did he do it for scented candles? I think an insanity defense is in order.

[wnylib]

31. Makes absolutely no sense, does it?

Bear spray to steal candles? What great value could a couple dozen candles have to go after them with bear spray?

So it's an act of violence against the store and its customers and employees and the candles are a secondary curiosity.

Who could work up such animosity for a store to attack it like that?

[Wicked Blue]

3. Maybe the candles were for

his pet bear

[jmbar2]

4. Bear-den aroma?

You may be onto something there...

[Wicked Blue]

8. Eau de dead deer nt

[JohnnyRingo]

6. I know candles are overpriced at B&BW.

I don't know why I never thought of that. I just pay retail.

[Major Nikon]

39. My farts smell like potpourri

Everyone just pulls my finger

[TexasBushwhacker]

49. They overprice them and then sell them for 50% off

I definitely don't burn candles, but I do like some of their fragrances. I buy shower gels and lotions when they're on sale.

[getagrip_already]

9. ironically, he will get more prison time

for stealing the candles than he would for releasing the bear spray.

By stealing the candles, it becomes a strong arm robbery, which is a major felony. Release of a chemical irritant, not so much as long as they can't prove intent.

Funny how the law works.

[C Moon]

45. If I were one of the injured, I'd sue the bastard.

[TexasBushwhacker]

50. You really think someone stealing candles can pay a judgement?

[C Moon]

52. If this person was so poor they were stealing candles to keep warm in the summer.

Then where did he get the $50 can of bear spray?

[TexasBushwhacker]

54. My guess that they are stealing them to resell them

On eBay or Facebook marketplace.

[Sancho]

15. He escaped in a Yellow cab too...

...can you imagine the cab driver asking where he got scented bear spray?

[jmbar2]

16. LOL

A new market is born. Bear and Bath

[NurseJackie]

17. Bear Bath & Beyond

[jmbar2]

19. mo bettah

LOL

[FSogol]

37. +2 n/t

[FSogol]

36. +1 n/t

[Stuart G]

51. Did they ever catch this uncaring idiot?

[Evolve Dammit]

20. 35 people due to one asshole. Hope he's locked up for a long time

[bucolic_frolic]

21. Hope they bag him criminally and with liability

All victims ought to be able to sue him. BBBW should go after him for all costs - inventory, cleaning, lost revenue.

If you just slap their wrists you'll get more of this type of behavior.

[twodogsbarking]

23. Is this odd in Florida?

Just checking.

[KS Toronado]

28. No it's not odd in Florida or any other reQublican state

They hold the copyright on crazies.

[Polybius]

24. "for forcing us to breathe that shit?"

You sound like my sister. You're both wrong. It smells like pure Heaven in there!

[jmbar2]

25. Listen to your sister. She loves you.

[Mr.Bill]

26. We could at least make it as difficult

to buy as other deadly weapons. Maybe even require training and licensing.

[plimsoll]

35. So, not at all then?

[Mr.Bill]

40. Depends on what state you live in, I suppose.

I live in California.

[twodogsbarking]

29. FOX reports.

Man saves dozens of shoppers from bear attack.

[C Moon]

46. :D

[NutmegYankee]

30. It needs to be a felony to use that stuff on humans

It has become the go to weapon for political extremists and yet every manufacturer has explicitly stated the stuff is not safe for use on people.

[ProfessorGAC]

32. Oddly Enough...

...the pepper spray intended for use on humans is harsher.
The capsaicin level is 4 to 5 times higher.
Bear sprays are typically available at 1.4-1.8% active agent.
The self-defense sprays are 5-10%!
IIRC, bear spray also contains a natural oil with an foul odor to which bears are very sensitive. The theory is that the objectionable odor keeps reminding the bear what happened and make it less likely to return to that area.
That off odor is the biggest reason why cars that have had bear spray released inside are often totaled.
Getting rid of the capsaicin is pretty easy, and safe. The odor component, not so much.
But, bear spray isn't worse for people (healthwise) than "ordinary" pepper spray. The latter is even worse.

[NutmegYankee]

33. That's interesting, I read a news article that stated the opposite

That said, bear deterrent and self-defense pepper sprays have some important differences: Most bear sprays boast a capsaicin content of 2 percent, compared with 1.2 to 1.4 percent in most self-defense products, according to the nonprofit BearWise. The strength of peppers is measured in Scoville heat units, or SHUs, which is the number of cups of sugar water it would take to fully neutralize the spice. A habanero pepper, among the hottest out there, has roughly 200,000 SHUs. Standard pepper sprays have around 1 million SHUs, while bear sprays pack 3 million SHUs, so it’s about three times as potent as the self-defense products.

It’s also dispensed more widely and forcefully, the experts agreed. Bear deterrents dispense in a fog pattern — vs. the stream output of many pepper sprays — making it more likely that the capsaicin will get into an aggressive animal’s eyes, nose and throat. Bear sprays are also pressurized to travel farther — 30 to 35 feet — than the smaller self-defense products.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/bear-spray-pepper-riot-dangerous/2021/03/19/053c3870-87fb-11eb-bfdf-4d36dab83a6d_story.html

[ProfessorGAC]

34. I Think Their Research Is Suspect

Very first item for both searches on pepper spray types:

The capsaicin concentration of most pepper spray that law enforcement agents use is 5–10%.

.
And,

Strength of the capsaicin and related capsaicinoids: 1.4 to 1.8% capsaicin was determined as a guideline because that is the strength that was used in the BGP's research (C. J. Jonkel). These concentrations represents the makeup of bear pepper spray most commonly used in documented encounters.

This took 15 seconds to find the exact values I remembered. No cherry picking. Search "Capsaicin concentration in xxxxx spray". If xxxxxx is " bear", this is the first hit.
If it's "pepper", the top excerpt is the first hit.

The part about bear spray working at a greater distance is, however, correct. But, it's not because of higher pressure. It's nozzle size.

[IronLionZion]

38. But he doesn't have a political agenda!

A person can spray chemical weapons injuring Americans and it won't be terrorism.

[marble falls]

41. Proud Boy prospect needed some candles for his initiation.

[catbyte]

42. I think about that myself every time my friend who can't drive talks me into taking her there.

Just kidding. That was an awful thing to do. Bear spray can do real damage to you as evidenced by January 6.

But, I usually have to wait outside for my friend because many B & BW scents can trigger a migraine.

[jmbar2]

44. Also asthma and nausea

It's surprising how many folks think you are being dramatic when you recoil from scents.

[catbyte]

47. No kidding. They have no idea. One of the worst scents for me is Calvin Klein anything.

I don't know what they put in the crap they sell, but it always triggers an immediate reaction in me. I remember one time I got into an elevator with a guy that had overdone it with the CK cologne. My stomach immediately started churning, the left side of my forehead started throbbing, and I started to get spots in front of my eyes. I had to get off before my floor and narrowly avoided getting a full-blown migraine.

It's so inconvenient.

[Kaleva]

43. To be safe, I'll start getting Gwyneth Paltrow's "This Smells Like My Vagina" candles by FedEx

[pecosbob]

48. I use it on someone every week or so OUTSIDE my store just off the Vegas strip

Last edited Mon Jul 19, 2021, 04:15 PM - Edit history (1)

We get some crazy dangerous people on the property sometimes, but you never want to use the stuff inside. It makes an un-holy mess and will cause temporary respiratory difficulty for everyone inside the building. The bear spray variant sold here is a bit stronger than standard OC, but it's value as a stand-off deterrent comes from its ability to shoot a wide stream over a distance of 3-5 meters. If you hit the attacker in the face it will incapacitate them within ten seconds and the resulting loss of vision will last long enough for you to retreat to a safe distance. Pro tip...eight times out of ten you'll get the stuff on yourself as well, so if you use it, get used to the burn.

[samnsara]

53. i LOVE Bath and Body works... Thats the only soap I will use and Sweater Weather....

is the best! Ok Lemoncello too. The room fragrances and candles are great.