What Happens When You Bear Spray A Human

Vol. 7

Bear spray is in the news. Investigators analyzing videos of the deadly January 6 coup attempt have turned up evidence that U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick was sprayed with a can of Frontiersman Bear Attack Deterrent. If it can be demonstrated that the spray caused Sicknick’s blood clot and stroke, The New York Times speculates that it could lead to murder charges against two of the accused rioters. 

I’m telling you this because I have first hand experience of what it’s like to use bear spray on a human. Several years ago, I employed an identical can of Frontiersman on a home invader. Let me tell you about that incident, and maybe it can shed some light on what Sicknick, and others, experienced that day. 

I heard the guy trying to open a window on the front of our house because I was sleeping on the couch in the living room. It had been a really terrible evening. A friend called me earlier in the night in a panic, asking me to come over and help with her husband, who was acti…