Teller Accidentally Fills Office With Tear Gas
A device kept in a decoy money bag exploded accidentally Thursday at a Home Savings & Loan in the 2200 block of North Tustin Avenue, filling the building with tear gas, fire officials said.
The thrift’s officials declined to comment on the incident.
However, Orange City Fire Capt. Frank Gonzalez said that the money bag, kept in each teller’s cash drawer, is designed to go off when handled by robbers. As they leave the office, a small charge releases tear gas and covers them with bright-red dye.
Apparently, a new teller who was unfamiliar with the decoy bag jostled it and set it off just after 9 a.m., Gonzalez said. Most of the dye remained in the cash drawer, Gonzalez said, but “the whole building was filled with tear gas.”
Only one of the estimated 10 people in the office at the time was injured, a woman who declined further treatment after being examined by paramedics. Firefighters set up large fans to remove the gas and allow employees and customers to return.
Different financial institutions use different methods to apprehend robbers, authorities say. Some use the exploding dye packs, while others use bags in which tiny electronic transmitters are concealed.
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