WASHINGTON – A girl used a pepper spray-like substance on a Montgomery County school bus Wednesday afternoon, sending more than a dozen students to the hospital.
The pepper spray was used on a bus in the parking lot of Watkins Mill Elementary School, in Montgomery Village around 4 p.m. The 56 students on the bus at the time were evaluated, said Montgomery County Fire & Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer.
Hazardous materials teams evaluated 30 students at the scene and 14 were transported to an area hospital as a precautionary measure. The injuries were all non-life threatening and involved treatment for exposure to the pepper spray-like substance, Piringer said.
It is not yet clear why the pepper spray was used on the bus. The Montgomery County police say an 11-year-old girl set off the spray. Both police and school officials are investigating the spray went off.
Below is a map of the location of the incident:
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.
