When a man, Jon Bird, was volunteering for an event in Salt Lake City, he stepped away to have a smoke, and was confronted by an angry restaurant owner armed with a fire extinguisher. They argued about whether it’s legal or not to smoke in what looks like a public area far enough away from any restaurant, but their disagreement ends with a puff and a spray.
According to Vice:
Bird was quickly confronted by a man in a striped sweater who carried a fire extinguisher outside with him. The man, later identified as local restaurateur Alex Jamison, told Bird and another man that they couldn’t light up that close to his “customer area.” The two smokers said that they were 25 feet away from the outdoor seating, in accordance with Utah law, but Jamison disagreed… strongly.
“He came out with energy of hostility, a fire extinguisher in his hands, and said ‘I told you, you can’t be here,’” Bird told the station. “I’m still in shock and awe. I feel dizzy, kind of shaken up that something like this could actually happen.” …
In a statement, Jamison said that, because he stands up for animal rights, he needs to apologize to Bird. “Well I’ll say that I’m not proud of my behavior, I let myself get egged on and I overreacted. I’m a protective small business owner who has asked hundreds of people not to smoke near our patio in the interest of our customers and our neighbors’ customer,” he wrote. …
Bird said that he and his girlfriend both went to the hospital after he was sprayed, and that he’s had headaches and experienced shortness of breath since the incident.