A crowded night outside a Vienna venue ended in panic after a 23 year old security guard sprayed pepper spray into a mass of partygoers, injuring about 40 people, including a police officer, reported by 5 Minuten.
The incident occurred at around 1:15 a.m. on Sunday outside a venue in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt district. Police said an unusually large number of guests had gathered at the entrance, creating a dense crush of people.
When officers arrived, they found a large crowd pressed together near the doorway. The sheer number of people made it difficult for police to reach security staff and understand what was happening.
As officers attempted to assess the scene and consider measures to calm the situation, events suddenly escalated. One of the venue’s security employees sprayed pepper spray directly toward the crowd, according to police.
The irritant spread quickly through the packed entrance area, leaving many people coughing, struggling to breathe, and trying to escape the fumes. The incident prompted a large emergency response, with Vienna’s professional rescue service treating roughly 40 people at the scene.
Three young adults suffered more serious effects: two 18 year olds and a 19 year old were taken to hospital by ambulance for further medical care. A police officer was also affected by the spray. He received treatment on site and, according to authorities, was later able to resume his duties.
Police said criminal action has been taken against the 23 year old Austrian security guard. He has been reported on suspicion of aggravated bodily harm.
The episode has raised fresh questions about crowd control and the use of pepper spray by private security staff at busy nightlife venues. Authorities have not yet said why the guard used the spray or whether the venue will face further investigation.
For the injured partygoers, what began as a Halloween-weekend night out became a frightening and chaotic scene—one that ended with ambulances, stinging eyes, and a police investigation.
