Pepper spray incidents in Italy

Two separate incidents involving pepper spray have been reported in Italy. In late September, a passenger in Rome was hospitalized after an unidentified individual sprayed chili pepper spray on a night bus in central Rome. The perpetrator fled the scene, and authorities launched an investigation into the motive.

In late October, a middle school student in Bolzano caused respiratory distress and eye irritation among several students after spraying pepper spray in a school corridor. The incident, reportedly intended as a prank, resulted in one female student being transported to the hospital. Authorities are investigating how the minor obtained the spray, noting that sales to individuals under 16 are prohibited in Italy.

In a separate school incident in Pavia, three students and a 43-year-old woman required medical assistance after inhaling vapors from a pepper spray canister sprayed inside a classroom at the Cardano technical institute. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the release and how the substance was introduced to the room.