Wednesday, February 5, 2003
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Wednesday, February 5, 2003 |
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Pepper spray empties PTC steakhouse By JOHN MUNFORD
Longhorn Steakhouse in Peachtree City was evacuated briefly Saturday night while emergency officials investigated several people complaining of respiratory problems. A total of seven people were treated with oxygen but EMS units did not transport anyone to the hospital for further treatment, said Peachtree City Assistant Fire Chief Ed Eiswerth. A restaurant employee said there were 141 people either dining or waiting to be served when the building was evacuated. The employee said the popular restaurant, one of the highest grossing in the Longhorn chain, had to "comp" (give away) more than $2,000 in interrupted meals. Although the actual cause of the problem may never be known, fire officials believe the pepper spray may have been introduced into the environment, causing some to have problems breathing, Eiswerth said. "This might have been a pepper spray release, but we're not 100 percent sure," Eiswerth said. That educated guess is drawn from the symptoms and signs shown by the people at the restaurant who were treated by medics, Eiswerth said. The first crews responded to the scene at 7:38 p.m. but after emergency officials treated the victims and cleared the restaurant, the building was turned back over to restaurant officials almost an hour later, Eiswerth said. "The Longhorn management was outstanding," in cooperating with emergency officials and making sure the building was evacuated, Eiswerth added.
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