Officers were called to the store at 94 Main St. in Windsor Locks around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 2. They found several customers and employees standing outside, struggling to breathe from the “respiratory effects of pepper spray,” police said.
Witnesses told police the situation started with an argument between two customers over a parking dispute. Police said it was long after that argument that 20-year-old Hayden St. Martin allegedly used pepper spray on another man as he left the store, according to Windsor Locks police.
“Witness statements and store surveillance footage confirmed that while there had been a prior disagreement regarding a parking issue between staff and a couple, that matter had been resolved,” police wrote in a news release.
According to police, St. Martin stepped in as the couple was leaving and sprayed the man. Customers and employees inside the store quickly began to feel the effects of the pepper spray.
“According to reports, St. Martin, a local resident frequently seen interacting with officers in town, intervened as the couple was leaving, spraying the victim on the left side of his face," the report said. "The victim was later located at a neighboring Subway, where he was treated by EMS for coughing and facial irritation.”
Emergency crews treated the victim nearby. No other injuries were detailed.
Police found the pepper spray on St. Martin along with two pocket knives, authorities said.
He was charged with third-degree assault and breach of the peace, Windsor Locks police said.
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