Overview
- A parking-lot argument on Saturday, July 25, escalated when police say a 74-year-old driver sprayed bear spray twice from her car and then drove away.
- Witnesses gave officers the vehicle description and license-plate direction, and police in Orinda located and detained the car on westbound Highway 24.
- Lafayette police identified the driver as Monica Thomas of Oakland and booked her at the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful use of tear gas.
- Contra Costa County Fire Protection District treated eight people at the scene and one person was taken to a hospital for further care.
- The charges rest on California law that classifies bear spray as tear gas and limits its use to self-defense, and prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will pursue the case or whether a self-defense claim will be raised.