Pepper spray delays voting at DeKalb County early voting location

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Friday marked the last day to cast your vote before Election Day in the U.S. Senate runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker. Thousands of Georgians took advantage, and waited hours in line to cast their ballots.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was at one voting location in DeKalb County that experienced some delays after someone sprayed pepper spray on Friday afternoon.

DeKalb County fire officials say an officer posted at the Tucker Library began coughing and noticed his eyes watering at 2:15 p.m. He quickly realized several voters were experiencing the same thing.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The library was evacuated and voting was temporarily shut down until officials determined the substance in the air was pepper spray. They were able to begin voting 30 minutes later.

Some voters left and didn’t come back, but poll workers say many of them did.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Texts reveal why high school football star was shot and killed outside Gwinnett Dave & Buster’s
• Houston police arrest man on murder charges in death of Migos rapper Takeoff
• Nephew of Riverdale mayor shot, killed at Clayton shopping center

One woman told Fernandes that she came to the library twice to vote and, ultimately, just had to wait out the long lines.

“It’s been an hour, but it’s been fine. It’s been moving,” she said.

Channel 2 Action News is still working to find out if cameras in the library captured someone spraying the pepper spray and if investigators have reviewed any of that footage.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Ga. man used fake photo shoots to traffick women to 2020 Super Bowl, prosecutors say

©2022 Cox Media Group