Pepper spray discharge in grade school bus hurts 11 in suburbs

MAINE TOWNSHIP, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) -- Eleven school children were hurt Monday when pepper spray was discharged in a grade school bus in north suburban Maine Township near Park Ridge.

No serious injuries were reported after a student on the bus apparently tested her pepper spray and did not realize the effect it would have in an enclosed space, the Cook County sheriff’s office said.

Authorities responded about 3:20 p.m. to the bus near West Church Street and Capitol Drive, the sheriff’s office said.

The students, ranging from 8 to 12 years old, were taken to hospitals for decontamination, the sheriff’s office said. Fifty-five students were on the bus during the discharge.