Pro-Choice Demonstrators Pepper-Sprayed In Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Four people were pepper-sprayed by private security guards outside a Planned Parenthood office in Walnut Creek on Tuesday, an incident that is drawing nationwide attention.

Protests have been held outside the office for years, but were elevated to a whole new level Tuesday when a Texas anti-abortion group, 40 Days For Life, hired 4 private security guards to protect anti-abortion protesters from counter-protesters.

Those guards told the pro-choice protesters that they could not be on a public sidewalk. When they insisted that they have a right to be on the sidewalk, a photographer who was documenting the incident was pepper-sprayed, followed by three counter-demonstrators.

Lacy Brown, who had chemical burns from the pepper spray, told NBC Bay Area, “It was very painful, very shocking, and I’m angry. I’m really angry. I want someone to be held responsible for this.”

Brown posted videos of the incident on Facebook.

Anti-abortion protester Jim Crawley said, “They are aggressive. They get into people’s face. They smoke marijuana and blow it in people’s face.”

Planned Parenthood’s Gilda Gonzalez called the incident unacceptable.

Walnut Creek Police informed both sides that the public sidewalk could not be blocked, and ordered them to be peaceful. The police department will submit a report to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office which will decide if charges should be filed in the case.

Update from the police department on Friday:

A story by NBC Bay Area has now been picked up and posted on the national NBC News website.