A cinema in Dollard-des-Ormeaux had to be evacuated on Friday evening because several people there were molested by what appeared to be cayenne pepper.
According to Véronique Dubuc, spokeswoman for the City of Montreal Police Department, several people made 911 calls around 8:15 p.m. to report that people had been contaminated with cayenne pepper at a movie theater on the corner of Brunswick and Sources boulevards (SPVM).
“911 deployed firefighters, police and paramedics. When authorities arrived, the harassed people were already being evacuated off-site,” she said.
A significant number of customers saw their popcorn evening ruined and had to evacuate the premises.
However, only “few people” have had symptoms related to cayenne pepper, Ms Dubuc says.
None of them have serious injuries.
The Montreal Fire Department (SIM) is conducting on-site inspections to understand what substance was sprayed.
The SPVM does not currently know in what context the substance may have been sprayed and has not arrested any suspects.
“We are already taking investigative steps such as interviewing witnesses, reviewing surveillance cameras to identify suspects,” Ms. Dubuc concludes.