Portland, Maine — On Monday, July 4th, a potentially life-threatening situation was deescalated with the help of the PepperBall® non-lethal system.
A Portland, Maine neighborhood Fourth of July celebration was disrupted when a man was shot and
assaulted, and a chaotic scene erupted in which police say a crowd aimed fireworks at the officers who
arrived to help him.
In a story reported by the Portland Press Herald, the officers responded by shooting PepperBall
projectiles into groups of people who were “targeting officers with mortar-style fireworks,” according to
Maj. Robert Martin. Most of the people at the scene were not residents of the neighborhood, police said.
“Officers were forced to deploy the pepper balls into the groups” that were setting off the fireworks,
“Several officers were struck with sparks from the fireworks that were intentionally aimed at them,” Martin
said in a statement reported by the Herald.
Designed to be used sooner and safer than other force options, PepperBall is the most versatile and
powerful non-lethal technology on the market. Fired by specialized launchers from up to 150 feet away,
PepperBall projectiles are hard plastic breakable spheres that are designed to burst upon impact and
deliver a payload of PAVA, a pharmaceutical grade capsaicin powder that irritates the eyes and
respiratory system when inhaled.
Monte Scott, Vice President of Law Enforcement sales for PepperBall, commended the officers’ efforts.
“We are extremely pleased that the Portland PD was able to use the PepperBall system to help not only
protect their officers under dangerous conditions but to ensure civilian safety, without having to resort to
deadly force,” Scott said in a statement. “Helping de-escalate potentially life-threatening situations is
exactly what PepperBall was designed for – whether it is in crowd control situations or daily patrol
scenarios. No other less-lethal device or system could have been as effective under the circumstances.
PepperBall did its job,” concluded Scott.
No officers were seriously injured, and the victim was taken to Maine Medical Center, where he was
reported in stable condition.
For more information, visit www.pepperball.com
Original story appears here https://www.pressherald.com/2022/07/05/portland-man-shot-assaulted-nearkennedy-park-on-july-4th/