74-Year-Old Woman Arrested In Bear Spray Attack At Lafayette Trader Joe's

LAMORINDA, CA — A 74-year-old Oakland woman allegedly unleashed bear spray outside a Lafayette Trader Joe's during a parking lot dispute, exposing eight people before police arrested her.

The incident happened at about 10:40 a.m. Saturday, when Lafayette police responded to reports of an argument outside the Trader Joe's store in the 3600 block of Mt. Diablo Boulevard.

Dispatchers soon received additional reports that a woman had used bear spray on multiple people before driving away.

Police said that during the argument, the woman pointed bear spray out of the driver's-side window of her vehicle and sprayed the other person. As she drove away, police said, she sprayed the person a second time before leaving the parking lot.

The spray exposed eight people, according to Lafayette police. Crews from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District treated the victims at the scene, and paramedics transported one person to a hospital.

Witnesses provided officers with the suspect vehicle's license plate number and direction of travel. Orinda police officers spotted the vehicle on westbound Highway 24 and detained the driver until Lafayette police arrived.

Police identified the suspect as 74-year-old Monica Thomas of Oakland.

Authorities booked Thomas into the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful use of tear gas.