PORT OF MANCHESTER, Wash. (WSVN) — On May 4, a man in a white robe approached a group of people celebrating a birthday at the Port of Manchester in Washington State. According to victim Julianna Hills, the man started yelling and egging them on, and when they got into their vehicle to leave, he followed them and yelled that he had a gun.
Things took a dangerous turn when the man threw open Hills’ car door and sprayed a large bottle of bear mace into her and her friend’s eyes. Hills and her friend Vince still carry scars from the incident.
After Kitsap County deputies posted a video of the incident on social media and displayed a picture of an identifying tattoo on his hand, they were able to make an arrest on Tuesday thanks to a tip from a resident. The suspect has been accused of at least three counts of second-degree assault.
Hills plans to get her car seats re-done with her insurance, but she said she wants to throw away the car because she doesn’t want to be reminded of the attack.
Bear mace is a type of pepper spray that is commonly used as a non-lethal deterrent against bears, but it can cause temporary blindness, difficulty breathing, and intense pain in humans. It is illegal to use bear mace on humans, and those who do can face serious criminal charges.
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