Montgomery BART hit with a bout of pepper spray

Just a few hours after the Civic Center BART station dealt with its own smoky, noisy mess, the Montgomery BART station was hit Tuesday evening with a round of pepper spray. The station was briefly closed.

Confusion reigned underground.

“Apparently something was sprayed down there. It’s causing people to close their eyes,” a BART agent said shortly before 5 p.m. She told passengers at the time they could return to the platform to wait at their own risk.

One passenger swore the spray was tear gas, based on his experience smelling the agent at riots. A police officer suggested it might’ve been hairspray. A San Francisco police officer confirmed it was pepper spray.

A man in a wheelchair was further underground, waiting for a train, when the spray was emitted. His nose was visibly red and irritated. He asked the agent who he should contact if the irritation worsened. Soon afterwards, he was being examined by medics.

At least a few other passengers in the station were being treated for pepper spray.

Representatives for BART did not immediately respond to Gazetteer SF's request for comment.