2 women allegedly fight, bear spray used inside Bay Area Safeway

A grocery store in Gilroy was temporarily shut down Monday evening after a fight between two women escalated into the use of bear spray, exposing multiple people inside the store to the chemical irritant, police said.

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Officers responded to the Safeway at 905 First St. around 4:53 p.m. on Monday after reports of a disturbance involving two women, the Gilroy Police Department said in a news release. 

The women — one 54 and the other 43 — were separated by officers. Both women were arrested on battery-related charges, police said.

Bear spray was discharged inside the grocery store during the altercation, affecting several people nearby. Authorities did not say who deployed the bear spray. Personnel from the Gilroy Fire Department and emergency medical services evaluated people who were exposed to the spray at the scene. No one was taken to the hospital.

The store was temporarily closed while crews conducted decontamination efforts, but it has since reopened.

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The Gilroy Police Department and Safeway did not immediately return SFGATE’s requests for comment.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the department at 408-846-0350.