Over a dozen students and staff members received medical attention—and one was even reportedly hospitalized—after someone diffused pepper spray at an event hosted by a conservative group.
One student was reportedly hospitalized after coming into contact with the chemical.
Several victims were suffering from abdominal cramping, others complained of having difficulty breathing.
The attacker reportedly released a sufficiently large quantity of the chemical into the room that students in an adjacent classroom also felt ill.
Fire officials cited by the Tribune said a student admitted to releasing the pepper spray inside the school.
‘Respiratory Issues’
Tricia Hazelrigg, a spokeswoman for the Park City Fire District, was cited by the Tribune as saying that a gas leak was reported on Monday about 10 minutes after classes were dismissed at the school.Hazelrigg told the publication that emergency crews responding to the incident tested for carbon monoxide and explosives. No traces of either were found, she said.
Colton said that traces of the pepper spray were found several hours after the incident by a crew testing for hazardous chemicals.
Park City Police captain Phil Kirk told the Tribune medical crews treated several people for “respiratory issues.”
Kirk said one victim was taken to an area hospital, but provided no further information about the person’s condition.
‘Bridge the Divide’
The pepper spray was released in a lecture hall where the school’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA) student group had planned to host an event.The event was a talk titled “How to Bridge the Divide with Will Witt from PragerU.”
“Before working for PragerU, he worked with other nonprofits to help spread the values of freedom and conservatism across America.”
The TPUSA event with Witt was able to proceed at an alternate venue.
Park City High School’s TPUSA chapter president Max Mobley told Breitbart News that he believes this was a politically-motivated attack.
“We know that if we [conservatives] were suspected of doing something like this, we would especially be under fire for our actions,” Mobley said.
The suspect has not been identified, but several students were cited by Breitbart as saying that the alleged perpetrator was a known “socialist” on campus.
“We’re still investigating the incident, so no motive yet,” Kirk told Breitbart.
Conservative Activist Assaulted
Conservative activist Hayden Williams was punched in the face and shoved by a suspect on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley on Feb. 19, according to video footage filmed at the scene.Williams was attacked while recruiting for Turning Point USA, according to group President Charlie Kirk.
“While recruiting for our group at UC Berkeley a leftist thug comes & assaults our activists punching him in the face & hitting him repeatedly. Imagine if the attacker was wearing MAGA hat, would be national news!” Kirk wrote on Twitter. “This is the violent left!”
Suspect Arrested
Campus police on March 1 arrested a man suspected of attacking Williams, according to reports.
“Today, we have finally learned the identity of the attacker and that the violent man has been arrested,” Kirk’s statement read. “While every American should be afforded their due process, we believe that the video evidence, in this case, is incontrovertible.”
“We hope 28-year-old Zachary Greenberg is prosecuted to the full extent of the law for assault with a deadly weapon, which should be considered an act of hate,” Kirk continued. “Hopefully, this dark chapter will act as a wake up call to those concerned about actual politically motivated hate crimes in America. Berkeley and all college campuses across American should be safe havens for free thought and opinions—especially for a targeted conservative minority.”
