Police officer caught using pepper spray on baby squirrel outside school

While the video of a police officer using pepper spray on a baby squirrel has shocked some, the Mesquite Police Department is defending the officer's actions. According MPD Sgt. Wes Talley, a baby squirrel began chasing students around outside at Kimbrough Middle School on Wednesday afternoon.



The school resource officer was called to help. Officer Davis stood between a group of students and the animal because it was acting unusual and he thought it may have been rabid, Talley said.

Talley said after several unsuccessful attempts to scare the squirrel away, Officer Davis used his pepper spray on it to protect the welfare of the students. But the students didn’t see it that way. They claimed the animal wasn't a threat to anyone.


YouTube link.

One student used a cell phone to record the incident. In the video students can be heard crying, “No!” and “Don’t spray him!” Animal control officers did take the squirrel back to the shelter afterward. It was cared for and released back into the wild, Talley said.

There's a news video here.