PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A group of stores in Downtown Portland was forced to close their doors on Sunday after an incident allegedly involving bear mace making its way into the building.
Union Way mall store owners reported to NewsNation affiliate what they suspect happened: that bear mace was unleashed during a fight outside, and the substance drifted into the HVAC system, being felt by people on the inside. Portland police have yet to confirm the series of events, but we’ve reached out for comment.
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Employees and customers said they started to feel the effect of the suspected bear mace. People’s throats were sore, their eyes were itchy, and many people were coughing.
“A lot of customers and people through the breezeway there. I started, coughing, and I heard a lot of coughing, and I was wondering what was going on. And then I myself started feeling it, kind of in the back of my throat,” said All Burn Wax Co-Owner Bryan Aalberg.
“He tried to close the door, and we shut off the fans and tried to alleviate the issue, but it was kind of a cascading effect,” said Diana, Bryan’s spouse and fellow co-owner of the store…