Visitors at the Voyage Gallery shopping center in Tyumen were evacuated after an incident that authorities described as a pepper spray event. The information emerged from the local news outlet 72.RU, which reported that eyewitnesses observed the evacuation taking place amid a tense scene inside the mall. The management of the Gallery Voyage center confirmed the evacuation to the same source, indicating that security measures were activated in response to an unexpected intrusion. Source: 72.RU
Eyewitnesses told reporters that a young man entered the building and discharged pepper spray, prompting immediate security action. Security personnel attempted to restrain the intruder, but their efforts were not successful at the moment. The mall stated that law enforcement officers were summoned to the scene and that the center would provide a formal statement to the police as part of the ongoing investigation. Source: 72.RU
The report also noted that another pepper spray-related incident had been recorded at a nearby Central shopping mall roughly thirty minutes prior to the situation at Voyage Gallery. At the time of reporting, officials did not disclose further details or conditions surrounding that second incident. Source: 72.RU
In related safety news, a separate incident had previously affected a school near Moscow where several students experienced exposure to pepper spray, underscoring ongoing concerns about the threat of aerosols in crowded public spaces. Source: 72.RU