The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita firefighter was taken to a local hospital after he was sprayed with Mace while tending to an injured person Monday night.
Firefighters responding to a medical alarm at Garden Pines apartments, 8131 E. Harry, shortly before 7:30 p.m. came upon a large group of people in the parking lot, “many of whom were fighting,” Fire Marshal Brad Crisp said Tuesday.
The complex is next to Rock Road. While attempting to assist a 50-year-old woman who was injured, Crisp said, a firefighter sustained “a direct blow of Mace to the face.”
He was sprayed with Mace in the eyes and face, Crisp said. He received medical treatment at the scene before being taken to Wesley Medical Center for evaluation.
The firefighter, 33, was later released from the hospital “and is fine,” Crisp said.
Wichita police are investigating. No arrests have been made.
There were perhaps 10 people clustered in the parking lot when the fight broke out, Crisp said, but he’s not sure what prompted the disturbance.
Firefighters are not sprayed with Mace as part of their training, he said.
“I’ve been through it, and I can assure you it’s not pleasant,” Crisp said.
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