Video shows chaotic scene of Santa Monica College pepper spraying

 

New video was being posted online Wednesday from on-the-ground eyewitnesses of the pepper spraying incident at Santa Monica College, where at least two people were hospitalized and several others injured when the aerosol was dispersed into a crowd of protesting students.

Santa Monica College officials said Wednesday they planned to launch an investigation into the clash outside a Board of Trustees meeting, City News Service reported.

About 30 students were treated for pepper spray exposure outside the board meeting room Tuesday evening, CNS reported, citing Capt. Judah Mitchell of the Santa Monica Fire Department.

The pepper spray was used during a protest Tuesday evening by about 100 students against a plan to offer high-priced courses at the college this summer. 

A handful of protesters suffered minor injuries as campus police tried to prevent dozens of students chanting "Let us in, let us in" and "No cuts, no fees, education should be free" from disrupting the meeting during a public comment period.

Several also were overcome when pepper spray was released just outside the meeting room as officers tried to break up the crowd. Police are investigating the circumstances of when the pepper spray was used and by whom.

Cameron Espinoza said she was outside the board meeting, near the back of the crowd, when she heard screams.

"I saw all these students rushing and they were crying," said Espinoza, 19, who is director of outreach for the student government. "I couldn't stop coughing."

No arrests were made. The meeting room was cleared, and trustees adjourned to another room.

Santa Monica police were called in to secure the perimeter of the building.

College President Chui Tsang said the small boardroom wasn't able to accommodate all of the students who wanted to speak and that an adjacent room had been provided for the overflow.

"We expected some students, but we didn't expect that big of a crowd with such enthusiasm," Tsang said.

When the meeting resumed, most of the students were allowed to address trustees from an adjoining room. Many urged the board to find other solutions to maintain access.

"This is a Band-Aid on a gushing wound and will not be a sustainable solution," said Parker Jean, 19, a political science major.

Board Chair Margaret Quinones-Perez announced at the end of the comment period that the college would pay medical bills for any students who suffered injuries during the disturbance.

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-- From a Times staff writer