A Chicago high school student is facing charges after reportedly spiking a container of marinara sauce with fiery hot sauce, sending three people to the hospital, police said.
The 17-year-old Highland Park High School student is being charged as a juvenile on five counts of misdemeanor battery in the May 14 prank. Three cafeteria workers were treated by the school’s nurse before being treated at a local hospital for coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and skin rashes, school district spokeswoman Natalie Kaplan told the Chicago Tribune.
Highland Park Police Deputy Chief George Pfutzenreuter said the employees did not have to ingest the hot sauce to develop symptoms because it wasn’t ordinary hot sauce.
"I don't think you can find this one in the store,” he said of the Da' Bomb hot sauce brand. “It sounds like this kid had to get it someplace special.”
Two students also reported symptoms, but did not require a trip to the hospital, Kaplan told the newspaper.
District officials recently purchased a security surveillance system and were in the process of choosing locations for the cameras, Kaplan said.
"We decided, based upon that incident, that we'll go ahead and install cameras in the cafeteria where the incident occurred," she said.
The student, who is expected to appear in juvenile court this week, was identified by the school and disciplined, but Kaplan declined to elaborate, citing privacy concerns.
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