Police are seeking the public’s help after discovering that video taken inside the Gurnee Wal-mart store shows behavior that may be related to the release of pepper spray or a similar substance in the store Monday evening.
“A review of the video from inside the store revealed a black female, with two young male black children, raising her arm in a motion similar to how one might spray a chemical,” according to a release from the Gurnee Police Department.
The woman was wearing a white top with pink pants, and white athletic shoes with colored laces, the release states. The woman and children left in a dark-colored vehicle, police said.
The incident resulted in a temporary store evacuation Monday night after several people reported difficulty breathing.
Gurnee Fire Department officials responded to complaints of people coughing around 7:50 p.m. at the store in the 6500 block of Grand Avenue, said Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief John Skillman.
Five people who had been inside the store were evaluated on the scene and refused to go the hospital, Skillman said.
Some people in the store told officials they thought someone sprayed some sort of irritant. Fire officials were unable to detect any chemicals or irritants after examining the store with detection meters.
After fire officials tested the area for chemicals, the store was reopened around 8:30 p.m.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Gurnee Police Department at (847) 599-7000.
Tribune reporter Alexandra Chachkevitch contributed.
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