ALAMEDA — A former resident has been charged in the deliberate release of bear spray inside an apartment building Monday afternoon, resulting in a hazardous-materials incident that prompted evacuations and medical treatment for some residents, including a 9-year-old girl, according to authorities and court records..
The suspect, Cynthia Stoneking, 44, was charged Wednesday with a felony count of use of tear gas and enhancements, including one that her alleged actions caused great bodily harm. Bear spray, which has some of the same ingredients as pepper spray, is considered a tear gas.
She was also charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of an injection/ingestion device, and petty theft.
She was being held in lieu of $165,000 bail and was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning.
The charges stem from an incident that happened about 2 p.m. Monday in an apartment building in the 700 block of Santa Clara Avenue.
According to court documents, Stoneking used to live at the building and somehow got back inside. She allegedly went to the second floor and walked down a hallway to the end where her old unit was, then released the spray on the door and in front of the apartment before fleeing, the records say.
A 9-year-old girl and an adult male were hospitalized and four other residents were treated at the scene. No firefighters were injured.
Police have not said what motivated the incident or when Stoneking last lived in the building.
Witnesses identified Stoneking as the alleged suspect. Police said they used automated license plate readers to identify the suspect and she was arrested within a few hours in Alameda after her car was found.
According to the court records, police recovered some spray ingredients, a syringe loaded with methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, and credit and identification cards belonging to other people. The recovery of the cards resulted in the petty theft charge.
On the day of the incident, fire prevention staff passing by the building were the first ones contacted by residents; other fire units, medical personnel — including six ambulances — and hazardous materials units soon responded.
The first units confirmed that an unknown substance, which firefighters later said turned out to be bear spray, had been intentionally released inside the building. Multiple occupants reported symptoms requiring medical attention, officials said. Firefighters secured the scene and evacuated people.
Fire officials said after triaging and transporting victims, crews collected and tested samples of the substance to facilitate identification. A decontamination station was established and the substance was ultimately neutralized and residents were allowed to return. Firefighters were on scene for approximately four hours.
A shelter-in-place order was put into effect for that block, authorities said. Santa Clara Avenue was closed between Webster and Page streets while the incident was going on.